CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Mindanao’s first batch of modern public utility jeepneys (PUJs) has started its maiden route on Tuesday, as part of the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board’s (LTFRB) Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) Modernization program.
The 21-seater PUJ will run an average of 24 kilometers from the eastern part of the city, Barangay Bugo, to a tourist destination in Opol town, Misamis Oriental province, the Seven Seas Waterpark.
The transport group, Oro Transportation Service Cooperative (Orotsco) was granted by the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) with a PHP38 million-loan for the initial units.
LTFRB-10 director Amenodin Guro said the loan granted by the government-owned banks have 5 percent equity, with 6 percent interest of the total cost of the vehicle, and payable within seven years.
Orotsco is the first cooperative here granted a loan from DBP and the first transport cooperative operating under the government’s the PUV Modernization Program in the city.
The unit is a fully air-conditioned Hino brand unit with Wi-Fi and Card swiping machine, an additional eight passengers can stand in the aisle if seating capacity is already full.
The cities of General Santos and Butuan will also follow suit. –PNA
