The DOTr has been putting a lot of plans into action for the sake of mobility and transportation. Bike lanes, electric scooter registrations with the LTO, and numerous active transport programs, it has their hands in all of it. But perhaps the biggest among these is the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program or PUVMP. PUVs have long been in the pipe of modernization and before foreign delegates, Secretary Jaime Bautista laid bare the plans to resort to electric public transport.
Photo: DOTr
In a recent forum organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime J. Bautista gave representatives from countries in the region an overview of the Department’s transport infrastructure initiatives.
This Regional Meeting on Accelerating the Transition to Electric Mobility for Public Transport in Asia and the Pacific was attended by Bautista, DOTr Undersecretary and OIC for Road Transport and Infrastructure Kim Robert De Leon, electric transport champions from the Asia-Pacific region, representatives of development partners and international organizations, UNESCAP, EV stakeholders from the Philippines and regional experts on electric mobility.
“To be able to elevate the Philippine transport to global standards, we need an efficient mobility system that is eco-friendly, anchored on electric public transport,” Bautista said. “For us at the Philippine Transportation Department, we must translate this transport electrification advocacy into the efficient movement of people and goods, which in turn would increase government’s competitiveness, efficiency of workers and business enterprises, while reducing the costs of moving goods and services,” he added.
Photo: DOTrAs has been mentioned, the PUVMP is the biggest initiative of all, and with a great majority of these PUVs already dilapidated and not meeting international standards for both safety and emissions, modern options have been brought forward, and now, the possibility of turning towards modernized and electrified options has just been declared. There has been no shortage of suggestions and actual units of this sort that have been shown off to the Department.
Secretary Bautista also underscored the crucial need for an efficient partnership between the government and the private sector. “Our strides at public transport electrification admittedly need the combined support of government and the private sector. As with other transport projects, we encourage public-private partnerships which have historically shown high success rate of completion and efficient operation,” Bautista reiterated.
Photo: DOTr
We always say that ideas are always good. The fact remains, though, that while alternative and green modes of transportation to be used as PUVs are being considered, the DOTr still has to address the headstrong operators and drivers who, as of this very writing, are still against the PUVMP as a whole. It’s a good thing that the number of cooperatives and those complying with the Modernization Program is increasing, but the majority is still comprised of those who are against it.
We’d like to see how this all plays out for everyone, especially the commuting public.
Francis Abante says:
Maybe in certain areas along the metro that needs EV, so that corruption and red tape in the government would minimize as operators and drivers are still against this PUVMP due to the expensive units of EV. DOTr must be focused on our railway system from and going to the nearby provinces as well as subway system in the metros.instead of buying bulk units of this EV
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