BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance amending Ordinance No. 66, series of 1995 which require all jeepney operators and drivers associations in the city to provide jeepney units for passengers until 9 pm to extend their services up to 10 pm.
The ordinance authored by Councilor Joel Alangsab stated that all jeepney operators and drivers associations in the city with 15 to 25 jeepney units shall main not less than 7 jeepney units available for passengers from 6 pm to 10 pm daily.
Further, jeepney associations having 26 to 35 units shall maintain not less than 10 jeepney units available for passengers from 6 pm to 10 pm daily, and for those jeepney associations having 36 or more jeepney units, the group shall maintain not less than 12 jeepney units available for the same time period.
The ordinance stipulated that the jeepney operators and drivers associations concerned shall device a scheme or arrangement to maintain the minimum required number of jeepney units available to the riding public.
Earlier, the local legislative body enacted Ordinance No. 66, series of 1995 that required jeepney operators and drivers associations to make available jeepney units for passengers up to 9 pm daily.
Because of the night market and other night establishments, Alangsab noted that there has been a clamor from the passengers for jeepney operators and drivers associations to extend their services to the passengers up to 10 pm daily for them to reduce their expenses for taxi transportation, especially that there has been an excessive increase in taxi fare in the city.
According to the proposal, there has been numerous complaints from the riding public anent the lack of jeepney units available to the public between the period 6 pm to 10 pm daily and such inadequate jeepney units reportedly prolong standing and create long lines of passengers in almost all jeepney terminals in the different parts of the central business district.
Worst, the ordinance claimed that the passengers lining up in the different jeepney terminals daily are exposed to the elements or even rained out making them sick.
The ordinance stipulated to compel the different jeepney operators and drivers associations to extend their services to the riding public even up to 10 pm daily, the local legislative body needs to amend ordinance No. 66, series of 1995 to allow concerned sectors to cope with the present conditions and to allow passengers to be in their homes the earliest possible time.
The ordinance was referred to the appropriate committee of the local legislative body for study and action.
By Dexter A. See
