THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) assured that it is slowly bringing back public transportation in Pangasinan.

The assurance was made by lawyer Annabel Nullar, LTFRB assistant regional director, during a virtual KBP Forum through zoom video tele-conferencing on Thursday.

She said they will restore back 50 percent of the traditional jeepneys plying the Bonuan area next week, adding that those to be given special permits are units that will be certified as road-worthy and whose operators are either members of cooperatives or corporations and or associations.

Low priority will be given to individual applicants.

According to Nullar, the jeepneys that will be given special permits will require jeepneys to operate with 50 percent of their usual capacity only, driver and passengers must always wear face masks.

The jeepney driver will also be required to wear hand gloves.

Nullar said that they have already opened up 46 routes in Pangasinan and granted 379 special permits to applicants whose applications were filed on-line or personally, adding that the Pangasinan- La Union route is now open but the routes to Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte from La Union and Pangasinan remain close.

The inter-regional route from Pangasinan to Manila, she said, also remains close.

She assured that LTFRB Region 1 is assessing the situation daily to determine which routes can be opened right away, carefully balancing the need for transport and containing spread of the virus.

She also clarified that the government’s promised financial assistance to drivers is under the DSWD and not the LTFRB, so far, only drivers in Metro Manila have benefitted from it. (Leonardo Micua)

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