BINMALEY—Due to the scarcity of public utility vehicles (PUVs) plying Lingayen-Binmaley-Dagupan City route following the crackdown of smoke belching and dilapidated jeepneys and buses by Inter-Agency Council for Traffic, stranded passengers in this town have been enjoying free ride since June 6.

Mayor Simplicio Rosario said while traveling on his way to the office, he saw several employees, students and ordinary people in long queues in different areas waiting for their ride but in vain.

The sight prompted him to call an emergency meeting with his department heads to draw up a Libreng Sakay project.

He said the project will continue until transport services to and from the town normalizes.

Diomedes Bonalos, municipal administrator, said many jeepneys and buses opted not to ply the streets following the implementation of the modernization program of the national government.

He said a truck with marking of MDRRMC (Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management) of the municipal government has been ferrying passengers from Binmaley to Burgos St. in Dagupan City and vice versa, from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Binmaley is the first local government in Pangasinan that provides free ride to stranded passengers as a result of the Tanggal Bulok, Tanggal Usok campaign.

It will be recalled that in the last week of May, some 58 PUVs composed of buses and jeepneys plying routes in in Pangasinan to Dagupan City were impounded and their operators penalized for operating colorum or dilapidated vehicles.

Land Transportation Office Regional Director Teofilo Guadiz III said most of the impounded vehicles were jeepneys. Four were colorum buses plying Camiling -Dagupan route that pass through Binmaley.

Colorum vehicles face a P1-million penalty, Guadiz said. (Eva Visperas)

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