Service contracting program to cover over 800 PUV routes nationwide

By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz, Philippine News Agency

SERVICE CONTRACTING. A traditional jeepney driver waits for passengers along Tandang Sora in Quezon City on Tuesday (April 7, 2026). Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez on Friday (April 10) said the Service Contracting Program will run in over 800 land and maritime transportation routes nationwide, with passengers to receive 20 percent to 50 percent fare discounts. (PNA photo by Joan Bondoc)

MANILA – Public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators, as well as their passengers, will soon have increased earnings and discounted fares, respectively, in over 800 PUV routes nationwide as part of the government’s Service Contracting Program (SCP).

In a press conference in San Juan City on Friday, Department of Transportation (DOTr) acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez said the SCP, scheduled to begin on April 15, aims to address the reduced earnings of PUV drivers and operators due to increasing oil prices.

“At nagbawas na rin po sila ng kanilang biyahe. At kung limitado ang pagpapatakbo, kung wala nang pumapasada, talo po pareho ang ating operator, driver at ang ating pasahero (And they have so far reduced their trips. And if there is no one left plying the streets, operators, drivers, and passengers all lose),” he said.

In response, Lopez said the SCP has been given a budget of PHP1 billion—PHP800 million for road transport and PHP200 million for maritime transport— to provide the “net” type of SCP in 823 routes nationwide, with 545 feeder routes in Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.

An estimated 1,000 transport operators with 50,000 PUV units and around 15 million daily passengers are estimated to benefit from the SCP.

Under the net SCP, drivers and operators of buses on the EDSA Busway will earn PHP100 per kilometer while their passengers will have a 20 percent fare discount, on top of the 20-percent discount for students, seniors, and persons with disabilities.

On the other hand, modern and jeepneys and UV express drivers and operators will earn PHP40 per kilometer, while traditional jeepneys will earn PHP30 per kilometer, and their passengers will have the same discount.

In addition, there will be “feeder” routes with a 50-percent discount to passengers that will take them to relay stops along the Light Rail Transit Line 2, the Metro Rail Transit Line 3, and the EDSA Busway.

Participating PUVs will have posters displayed inside the vehicle showing the discounted fare matrix.

The SCP will be available five days a week and only during off-peak hours.

To validate their participation in the program, PUVs may be equipped with GPS monitoring for a monthly fee of PHP500, in addition to manual monitoring by traffic enforcers for PUVs that cannot afford GPS monitoring.

Earnings from the SCP will be issued to operators and drivers on a weekly basis and will be subject to validation and verification.

“Mas masisiguro natin ang mga drivers and operators na kasama dito sa net SCP ay makakaroon talaga sila ng kita araw-araw (We can assure our drivers and operators who join the net SCP that they will have a stable daily income),” Lopez said.

SCP budgeted until July

Moreover, he said the PHP1-billion funding is enough to run the SCP until July, but negotiations with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Office of the President are ongoing for additional funding to extend the SCP.

“Inutusan nga po ng ating Pangulo [Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.] na hanapin ng pondo — humingi kami ng additional PHP5 billion para lang pahabain natin itong program (The President has already ordered for the budget to be found —we asked for an additional PHP5 billion to extend the program),” Lopez said.