BACOLOD CITY – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will conduct a re-survey of public utility jeepneys (PUJs) in this highly-urbanized city from Sept. 8 to 20 in response to ongoing transport issues.

The plan was discussed in a recent meeting between Mayor Greg Gasataya and officials from LTFRB-6 (Western Visayas) and the LTRFB national office.

Gasataya said the re-survey aims to determine the ideal number of PUJs per route and assess the feasibility of opening new routes.

He said the LTFRB will also study a transfer plan for operators, allowing them to switch routes if their current ones are oversaturated.

Gasataya is hoping that the LTFRB can come up with a recommendation in a month.

This city has 24 routes under the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) at present. However, some traditional PUJs reportedly continue operating without franchises due to non-compliance with the national modernization and consolidation program.

As of April, the city has 605 modernized PUJs and 1,266 consolidated traditional units.

Gasataya also raised the issue of jurisdiction over PUJ allocation. While the City Council typically governs destination points, the LTFRB currently controls the number of units per route.

He asked if a city ordinance or resolution would be required to implement LTFRB’s final recommendations.

The proposal for an LTFRB satellite office here was not discussed in the meeting as attention remained focused on resolving PUJ-related concerns.