According to the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board, tomorrow, July 29, an additional 1,943 passenger jeepneys will return to the streets covering 17 new routes in Metro Manila. In total, 7,945 jeepneys will now be operational amid quarantine, comprising 14 percent of the 55,000 registered in the National Capital Region.

This also means that the number of available jeepney routes is now at 66. The new routes include roads in Quezon City, Caloocan, Manila, Makati, Pasay, Navotas, Taguig and San Juan, specifically the following:

MCU-Sangandaan
Novaliches-Rizal Avenue via A. Bonifacio
Tandang Sora-Visayas Avenue via Quezon City Hall
Monumento-Paco, Obando via M.H. del Pilar
Quirino Highway-Sta. Lucia
Crame-Cubao via Murphy
Crame-Q. Mart via P. Tuazon, Ermin Garcia
SSS Village, Marikina-Cubao, Quezon City
Parang, Marikina-Marikina (TP) via Fortune
Guadalupe (ABC)-Taguig via Tipas
Calumpang-Cubao via P. Tuazon
Ayala-Guadalupe (Ibabaw) via J. P. Rizal
Libertad, Pasay-Pasay Road
Paco-Sta.Mesa Rotonda via Nagtahan
Pier South-Sta. Ana via P. Faura
Navotas-Recto via Heroes Del 96
Gate 5-Greenhills Shopping Center Loop

All jeepneys must have QR codes, or special barcodes, which will be checked by road authorities to prove their road worthiness. The QR codes, which initially caused confusion for some jeepney drivers, should be printed on a bond paper and displayed prominently on their vehicles for checking.

According to LTFRB chair Martin Delgra, the fare matrix remains at the standard P9 for the first four kilometers and an additional P1.50 for the succeeding kilometers. All jeepneys and their operators must follow health protocols and the valid personal passenger insurance policies, which includes ensuring the wearing of face masks or shields and gloves, and operating at half the passenger capacity. Failure to comply will result in fines or cancellation of permit.

“Based on the monitoring and coordination with local government units in Metro Manila, there is a need to open additional routes for jeepneys to serve passenger demand,” the LTFRB said in Memorandum Circular No. 2020-029 signed on July 24.

Header photo courtesy of Lyn Rilon from Inquirer.net