The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has extended the franchise of traditional jeepneys to give their operators ample time to comply with the government's modernization program. The extension of the Provisional Authority (PA) for traditional jeepneys this year was embodied in the LTFRB Memorandum Circular No. 2023-013 which also states the need for operators and drivers of traditional jeepneys to join cooperatives or band together to create corporations. Membership in the cooperatives or corporation would pave the way for drivers and operators of traditional jeepneys to be covered by the Dec. 31, 2023 deadline extension. The operators and drivers of traditional jeepneys are given until June 30 to join cooperatives and corporations. In a statement, the LTFRB also clarified that the cooperatives and corporations must be accredited by the Office of the Transport Cooperative (OTC) or seek registration from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) until Aug. 31 this year. It added that the new cooperatives and corporations must file Application for Franchise Consolidation by Oct. 31 this year in order for their Provisional Authority to be extended. On Feb. 6, the LTFRB extended the franchise of traditional jeepneys in consideration of a still large number of traditional jeepney operators who are yet to comply with the provisions of the law on public utility vehicle modernization. LTFRB chairman Teofilo Guadiz III earlier said the extension was based on their data that only 60 percent of the targets for jeepney modernization were able to comply so far. “We do not want to leave anybody so what we want is to have at least 95% on board if we continue this PUV modernization. We want to make sure that no one is left behind in the implementation of this program,” said Guadiz. A number of traditional jeepney operators have been complaining of the high cost of modernization, the reason why they are not able to comply. But the LTFRB has committed to assist small operators of traditional jeepneys in the government’s public utility vehicle modernization program, including  setting up cooperatives and corporations to make it easier for small jeepney operators to shift to modern jeepneys.