Transport groups bat for electronic vehicle ID system

MANILA, Philippines -  A federation of the country’s major public transport groups, the United Transport Koalisyon (1-UTAK), renewed their call for the implementation of the electronic vehicle identification system to easily identify illegal and out-of-line vehicles.

Lawyer Vigor Mendoza II, chairman of 1-UTAK and who previously represented the party-list group in Congress, said electronic tagging would be easier and cheaper for public transport operators compared to manual roof tagging.

“Why do manual roof tagging when electronic tagging that allows the use of GPS (global positioning system) is cheaper and easier for jeepney and bus operators? Why move backwards when we can move forward?” Mendoza said in an interview with transport reporters yesterday.

“Electronic tagging really has a lot of benefits. Public transport operators, especially legitimate ones, has seen its benefits that we have been pushing for its implementation even if they have to spend for it by paying for the tags,” Mendoza said.

He said 1-UTAK is supportive of the passage and enactment into law of House Bill 4186 filed by Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, which seeks the use of electronic vehicle identification equipment for public utility vehicles and to legalize electronic apprehension schemes.

Mendoza said the electronic tagging of all public utility vehicles (PUVs) would also be a big boost to the anti-speeding campaign of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the implementation of a   more efficient or “smart” passenger bus dispatch system particularly along EDSA.

Boy Vargas, president of the Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (ALTODAP) said LTO’s previous proposal to implement electronic vehicle identification through radio frequency identification (RFID), would cost only P350 each and can be used for 10 years. 

“While by manual (paint) tagging, it would cost us P1,500 per jeepney,” Vargas said.