Jeepney phase out plan hit

A proposal of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to ban the importation of second-hand engines and eventually phase out public utility jeepneys (PUJs) in Metro Manila is an anti-poor measure, Sen. Teresa Aquino Oreta said.

Oreta said that considering that most PUJs rely on old engines, the alleged LTO plan to ban imports of used diesel engines would mean curtailing the proliferation of public utility jeepneys and totally phasing them out in the future, leaving buses and FX mega-taxis to ply the streets.

"Along with the move by the Department of Finance (DOF) to impose excise taxes on passenger-carrying Asian Utility Vehicles (AUVs) used as mega-taxis, this planned jeepney phase-out would be a double whammy on ordinary Filipinos trying to make both ends meet amid the global economic downturn," Oreta said.

"Malacañang should scrap outright this anti-poor plan to phase out jeepneys and slap a new tax on AUVs. Operators of mega-taxis would surely pass on this additional tax to commuters in the form of higher fares. With this double whammy, commuters would be forced to ride mega-taxis and airconditioned buses that charge higher fares," Oreta said.