LTFRB removes franchise renewal application requirement for TNVS

CEBU, Philippines — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has removed the requirement to apply for franchise renewal or conversion under the newly adopted Authority to Operate Certificate (ATOC) system to further streamline its processes for Transport Network Vehicle Service (TNVS) operators.

The move is in line with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to simplify government transactions and improve the ease of doing business for the public. It is also being implemented under the guidance of Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez.

LTFRB Chairman Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II said the latest measure reinforces the provisions of Memorandum Circular No. 2026-049, which extends the validity of Certificates of Public Convenience (CPCs) for TNVS operators to five years under the ATOC system.

“In this case, we are informing the TNVS sector that they do not need to file an application for renewal or a motion for conversion under ATOC,” Mendoza said in a statement posted on the LTFRB's Facebook page.

In an advisory issued on July 14, the LTFRB said all valid and subsisting CPCs authorizing the operation of TNVS units upon the effectivity of Memorandum Circular No. 2026-049 are automatically converted into Authority to Operate Certificates without the need to submit an application for renewal or a motion for conversion.

The automatic conversion also applies to CPCs covering authorized TNVS units powered by non-internal combustion engines (non-ICE), according to the LTFRB.

The LTFRB advised operators whose CPCs are nearing expiration that they are no longer required to file renewal applications since their certificates have already been converted into ATOCs by operation of Section 14(a) of the memorandum circular.

Operators who wish to secure a formal copy of their converted ATOC may file a Manifestation with the LTFRB Legal Division or the Legal Section of the Regional Franchising and Regulatory Office that has jurisdiction over their application.

Mendoza emphasized that no filing fee will be charged for the submission of the Manifestation or for the issuance of the converted ATOC.

However, the LTFRB clarified that CPCs that had already expired with pending renewal applications, or those that had been canceled, revoked, suspended, or had otherwise ceased to be valid before the effectivity of Memorandum Circular No. 2026-049, are not covered by the automatic conversion provision. — /IHM (FREEMAN)