Only 31 traditional jeepney units have so far returned to the streets of Cebu City out of the 1,355 maximum number of slots allotted to be plied again in select routes.

This is according to data from the Cebu City Jeepney Task Force as of Monday, November 23, 8 months after public utility jeepneys (PUJs) were prohibited from operating in the city as a safety measure against the spread of the coronavirus disease.

Meanwhile, of the 200 applicants, only 52 drivers were granted Balik Pasada IDs by the task force. Drivers are required to have these IDs to operate approved jeepney units in the city. 

Apart from the low number of vehicles which passed inspection during the first couple of days, the turnout in general had been significantly lower than what the task force estimated. During the first week of inspection, only 61 units were checked. Of this, only 19 passed the inspection.

City councilor James Cuenco, head of the Jeepney Task Force, said that the low turnout could be because of the drivers’ fear of another set of movement restrictions that may come with the recent spike in cases of COVID-19 in the city.

“Low turnout can be attributed to the operators’ apprehension to commit to spend for their units while there is a threat of a breakout of COVID cases. Then the whole program again will be suspended,” he told Rappler via text message. 

Cebu City started tallying two-digit numbers of new cases during the first week of November after a significant decline in the previous months. 

In a previous interview with Rappler, Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide- Cebu spokesperson Greg Perez said that displaced jeepneys drivers have resorted to applying for construction jobs and driving taxis during the city’s ban on PUJs.

Some drivers have even returned to their home provinces while others relied on donations from private individuals and firms.

In total, there are 5,000 traditional jeepney units in Cebu City. The task force set the limit for the first screening to 1,355 units saying the return of traditional jeepneys in the city should be gradual.

So far, the vehicles that passed the inspection have been distributed among the busiest routes in the city. These are 12 units for Guadalupe, 4 units for Basak, 12 units for Labangon and 3 units for Lahug.

According to Cuenco, among the common problems of units which failed the inspection were smoke belching and busted lights. Failing units, however, need only to comply with their areas of deficiencies to be allowed to operate again. – Rappler.com