Commuter group urges DOTr: Make commuting safer by increasing supply
MANILA, Philippines — On World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, a commuter group lamented what it said was the failure of the Department of Transportation to acknowledge "that the inadequacy of public transport supply has added to the dangers of road use."
In a statement sent to media, Komyut recalled that a moratorium had been issued on the granting of new franchises for PUVs since 2007.
The commuter collective called on the DOTr and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to review policies and programs that limit supply to road public transportation beyond the improvement of road infrastructure designs for pedestrians.
"This only means that no legitimate new supply for road public transport has been introduced for the past fifteen years, with the exception of P2P buses and premium vans,” said Rebecca Padilla, convenor of Komyut.
"The Omnibus Franchising Guidelines, on its 5th year, should already unleash new supply so that commuters don’t have to resort to dangerous commuting behavior, in their desire to get home to their families."
The Marcos administration's DOTr has largely invested in continuity from the Duterte administration's rail infrastructure projects. It has also pushed for extensions of the free ride programs. However, a significant boost in transport capacity remains to be seen as more students and industries troop back to on-site work.
READ: The first 100 days of Marcos: Where is our transportation heading?
But Komyut on Wednesday argued that low transport supply inevitably leads to dangerous public transport commuting behaviors such as commuters chasing after buses and jeepneys to catch a ride, sometimes crossing unsafe roads that lack at-grade crosswalks.
The group also urged transport authorities to look for ways to increase or introduce new supply of public utility vehicles, either from new investors or from existing transport cooperatives and companies.
It also pointed to local government units like Quezon City and Pasig City that have invested in road public transport in their jurisdictions and effectively increased the number of PUVs in the cities.
"DOTr and LTFRB have repeatedly touted public transport safety and accessibility as their commitment to the public. They fail to acknowledge that safety and accessibility are hinged on an adequate supply of public transport," it also said.
“Without adequate public transport supply, road safety and Vision Zero will be impossible to achieve. Public transport commuters will shift to the use of private motor vehicles, encouraging more motor vehicles on the road, and increasing the probability of road crashes. More motor vehicles mean worsening traffic congestion and stressed road users. Stressed road users will commit more errors that could result in road crashes. And finally, desperate public transport users will continue to resort to dangerous behavior just to reach work on time, and get home,” Toix Cerna, Komyut spokesperson warned.
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