By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz
MANILA – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Thursday summoned the representatives of public utility vehicle (PUV) terminals in two malls in Quezon City for lacking the necessary facilities for passengers.
In a statement on Thursday, LTFRB Chair Vigor Mendoza II said show cause orders (SCO) have been issued to the operators and managers of the PUV terminals in Ayala Malls Cloverleaf and Trinoma due to lapses in safety and passenger comfort.
“Our message is clear: it is either you step up and fix what needs to be fixed to ensure compliance, or face the consequences for taking for granted the passengers whom you are supposed to serve well,” Mendoza said.
He noted that the LTFRB’s inspection of PUV terminals is a nationwide operation and will be done regularly as a “new normal.”
The LTFRB’s crackdown against illegal PUV terminals is in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s order to improve the country’s transport sector.
The SCOs issued have LTFRB personnel found that the PUV terminal at the Ayala Mall Cloverleaf has insufficient roofing to protect passengers, inadequate benches, no clear guidelines on trips and dispatching and no information and passenger assistance counters.
The terminal operator was also ordered to seek the necessary permit from the local government to operate and to create a security plan.
On the other hand, the operator of the PUV terminal at the Trinoma Mall was cited for having no information and passenger assistance counters, a lack of comfortable seats for waiting passengers, and priority lanes for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
The representatives of these terminals were ordered to appear before the LTFRB in a hearing on March 18.
The LTFRB is scheduled to hold a public consultation meeting on bus and other PUV terminals on Friday as part of the agency’s crackdown against insufficient facilities in transport terminals.
The consultation will focus on terminal requirements, accreditations, and the sharing of best practices that can be adopted and replicated. (PNA)
