The United Negros Transport Cooperative (UNETCO) launched 97 Class 2 FAW Modernized Public Utility Vehicle (MPUV) units, at the Central Hall, Ayala Malls Capitol Central recently.
Thirty of the 97 MPUV units have already been delivered to the city while an additional 67 units will be arriving.
A motorcade caravan event and an official ribbon cutting ceremony were conducted by UNETCO chairperson Romelie Soliguen, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Region VI director Richard Osmeña and Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) Region VI director Nora Patron.
“Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez expressed his full support and heartfelt gratitude for this modernization program…Its time for Bacolod City, a highly urbanized city, to be a model for clean and efficient transportation,” Councilor Psyche Marie Sy, said during an inspirational message she delivered on behalf of the mayor.
The six routes awarded by the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) to UNETCO are the Shopping – Libertad – USLS (16 units); Shopping – Libertad – San Agustin (18 units); Handumanan – Mansilingan – Libertad (18 units); and 15 units each for Tangub – South Capitol Road; Taculing – Central Market; and Banago – Libertad route, for a total of 97 units.
The transport group is currently installing a fleet management system in the units in order to monitor the routes and operations of the MPUVs.
Only five units have currently been distributed among the six awarded routes, while a possible dry-run operation will be conducted within this week.
QSJ Visayas manager Elmer Apondar, Huang Xi, general manager of FAW Philippines, and Ma Luisita Chiu, assistant vice president of Land Bank of the Philippines, turned-over the 97 MUJV units to the UNETCO chairperson and Board of Directors.
“The launching of the 97 MUJV’s delivers a strong signal of courage and decisiveness of those who opted to take the challenge of the public transport…,” Osmeña stated in his speech.
“Slowly but surely we are showing the public that our partnership among the local government, the transport operators, and our (LTFRB) office is strong and working tirelessly to make the implementation of the modernization program a reality,” he added.
UNETCO is a composition of three transport federations in Bacolod City namely, the United Negros Drivers and Operators Center (UNDOC), Federation of Bacolod Drivers Association (FEBACDA), Sentrong Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators Negros Occidental (SSTON), which will soon operate a total of 293 MUJV units in the city.
There are currently 203 modernized jeepneys plying the streets of Bacolod and 155 additional units will be launched in February, according to the LTFRB.*
