NextGen Day

MANILA, Philippines — With the implementation of the Service Contracting Program (SCP) in other parts of the country this week, commuters around the country will soon be able to take advantage of free trips onboard various public utility vehicles (PUV).

DOTr Undersecretary Mark Steven Pastor stated in a Laging Handa briefing on Monday that the free ride program, which is part of the SCP, has already started at the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (Edsa) Busway and would be spread to numerous other land transportation routes in the country.

“Makakaasa po ang ating mga kababayan na babalik po itong libreng sakay, hindi lamang po sa National Capital Region (NCR), kung hindi sa Luzon, Visayas, at Mindanao,” she said. (The people can be certain that the free ride program would resume, not just in the NCR but also in Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.) The initiative will help everyone),” Pastor stated.

The SCP began earlier this year at the Edsa Busway to help with the increased number of commuters during the Holy Week exodus and the anticipated shutdown of all trains in the NCR over the extended holiday break.

According to Pastor, roughly 550 buses are now providing free rides at the Edsa Busway, with the number of buses available increasing depending on demand, particularly during Holy Week.

“Iyan po ay dadagdagan ng ating gobyerno lalung-lalo na po ngayong Semana Santa through our LTFRB,” Pastor said.

The SCP requires the government to reimburse operators or drivers of public utility vehicles (PUVs), such as contemporary and traditional jeepneys, UV Express, and buses, for their daily operating costs in exchange for free rides or to give monetary incentives based on their daily performance.

With the rising cost of fuel and other commodities, he claims that the new SCP has boosted the incentives offered to operators and drivers who will participate in the program.

“Dati po ang atin pong bus dito sa Edsa Busway, PHP82 per kilometer po ang bayad, ngayon po ay 84 pesos per kilometer na po,” said the driver. (Before, in the Edsa Busway, the pay was PHP82 per kilometer; today, it is PHP84 per kilometer.) The same goes for jeeps),” Pastor explained.

PUV operators will also receive a one-time incentive of PHP5,000 per unit to cover their pre-operational costs in addition to these “operational incentives.”

The Department of Budget and Management published the PHP7 billion budget for the third phase of this newest implementation of the SCP on March 21 and it was downloaded to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board on March 23.

The SCP was established under Republic Act 11494, also known as the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, to offer a temporary source of income for displaced transport workers during the Covid-19 outbreak.

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