ILOILO CITY – Progressive group Bayan Panay is calling on the city government of Iloilo and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to stop the modern transport system which has allegedly caused longer travel time and added expense for daily commuters.

“The Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) is a week old now and our commuters, drivers, and small operators are bearing the burden of this undemocratic and anti-people program. We demand its cancellation,” urged Bayan Panay.

The city government led by Mayor Jerry Treñas launched the LPTRP last June 12 as a quick and comfortable transportation system mandated by the LTFRB.

The LPTRP is designed to phase out old jeepneys and replace it with mini-buses. However, the number of mini-buses approved by the LTFRB is not enough to efficiently cater the number of Ilonggos commuting, especially during rush hours in the morning and late afternoon.

The LPTRP also cut the routes of public jeepneys, especially those that carry passengers to neighboring towns, burdening workers in the government and private sectors as they have pay additional fare to ride another public vehicle to get to their destinations.

“The city (government) could have retained the existing routes and added only the new seven routes after public consultations if they are really needed,” noted Bayan Panay.

Bayan Panay pointed out that the Iloilo City government failed to conduct public consultation among the transportation sector and the riding public.

The group also said public vehicles should not be blamed for traffic congestion as many private vehicles are still plying the streets and highways.

Bayan Panay echoed the concerns of the riding public that the new routes favor big business, especially as new routes end up in the private terminal of Megaworld Corp.

The Iloilo city government claimed that the LPTRP is working. Jeck Conlu, public safety and transportation officer, claimed that the LPTRP has improved as of the morning of June 20.