Public utility vehicle (PUV) operators and drivers who have joined the government’s consolidation program has now topped 86%, Transportation Undersecretary Jesus Ferdinand Ortega said Wednesday.

In a radio interview, Usec. Ortega said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) will now proceed with the rationalization of routes for each local government units (LGUs) under the Local Public Transport Route Plans (LPTRP).

The transport executive added that the route rationalization will be completed in the next two years, explaining that the rationalization will determine whether a certain route for each LGU has adequate or inadequate PUV units operating in their jurisdiction.

“Ang ginagawa natin ngayon route rationalization. Dalawang taon ito, buong Pilipinas i-check ng LGUs, DOTr, at LTFRB ang bawat ruta kung malaman natin kung dadagdagan ang sasakyan o babawasan natin kung makatulong sa trapiko,” Usec. Ortega explained on Sakay Na! radio program on Radyo Pilipinas.

Once the route rationalization is finalized, the transport agency will then proceed with the next phase of the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP), which is to replace dilapidated traditional jeepneys with modernized units.

“This will happen for the next two years. After the next two years, doon pa lang tayo magpapalit ng modern vehicles,” Usec. Ortega stressed.

The LPTRP is a plan detailing the route network, identified mode of service that shall operate on the routes, and the required number of units per mode for delivering public land transport services.

It also includes the frequency of dispatch/headway, location of stops, and other transport facilities, among others. The plan is formulated by LGUs and shall serve as the basis for the issuance of the CPCs by the LTFRB.