PENDING ISSUE: TYPE OF VEHICLE FOR ROUTE

ALL’S well that ends well for the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Alliance of United Transport Organizations Province-wide (AutoPro) on the implementation of the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP), specifically the Dagupan-Calasiao route that its members service.

However, how the route will be served is another issue that needs to be resolved.

“Autopro insists on the Class 1 vehicle instead of Class 2 vehicle,” clarified  Bernard Tuliao, president of AutoPro referring to the classes of commuter vehicles that will be fielded  along the route in line with the Local Public Transport Route Plan mapped out by LTFRB for Pangasinan, which will first be evaluated by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Notice of Compliance ratified by the provincial board.

During the third round meeting of stakeholders of the Local Transport Route Plan, Tuliao asked that members of AutoPro be allowed to use the Class 1 vehicle that can load 12 passengers maximum since the Dagupan-Calasiao route is only six kilometers long.

Tuliao said his group prefers the Class 1 vehicle because of the 2-day coding in Dagupan.

A Class 1 vehicle (sought by AUTOPro) is the jeepney type of transport vehicle similar to the old jeepneys still in use along the Dagupan-Calasiao route, which costs P1.2 million while Class 2 vehicle can load up to 24 passengers and designed for routes with a distance of 24 or more kilometers. It costs P2.5 million.

Tuliao said AutoPro requested to field 200 units of Class 1 vehicle for the Dagupan-Calasiao route, amending their previous request for 300 units.

He told The PUNCH that if LTFRB will not grant their request for Class 1 vehicles to serve the Calasiao-Dagupan route, they will get only 50 units of Class 2 vehicles and expressed doubt if they can load 24 passengers per trip.

Under the new plan, many operators-drivers of the old jeepney type will be displaced and Tuliao said AutoPro will seek to operate with two groups to accommodate all members, i.e., one group will operate on MWF while the other will cover TTS.

LTFRB had advised AUTOPro to do loop service instead of setting up a terminal for their units since they are only negotiating a six-kilometer distance from Dagupan to Calasiao.

The modern Class 1 vehicles will be purchased by AutoPro with a loan from a bank through guarantees from LTFRB that obligates them to pay monthly amortization. (Leonardo Micua)

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