The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said on Wednesday it authorizes only persons outside of residence (APORs) to board public transport vehicles during the enhanced community quarantine in the National Capital Region (NCR).
APORs need to show valid identification (ID) to prove their eligibility to travel from August 6 to 20, the LTFRB said in its Facebook post.
“This is in accordance with Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) Resolution No. 130-A Series of 2021that aims to prevent the spread of Covid-19),” the agency said.
APORs include health and emergency front line services and uniformed personnel; government officials and employees on official travel; authorized relief and humanitarian personnel; those who wish to travel for medical or humanitarian reasons; those headed to airports or crossing ECQ zones to work in permitted industries; public utility vehicle (PUV) operators, vehicle drivers and conductors, and other essential personnel; individuals scheduled for Covid-19 vaccination; construction workers accredited by the Department of Transportation to work in quarantine-related or government infrastructure projects; and other individuals allowed by the IATF-EID.
LTFRB vehicles must strictly observe the 50% maximum allowable capacity use of their facility or one seat apart in buses and jeeps; two passengers per row and one passenger at the driver’s row for utility vehicles (UV) express, taxis, and transport network vehicle services (TNVS), aside from additional restrictions.
“In addition, sanitary measures will be strictly observed inside PUVs to avoid the spread of Covid-19) virus,” it added.
To ensure compliance with these measures, LTFRB said they and the Land Transportation Office (LTO), Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (I-ACT), and other IATF-EID authorized personnel will conduct “daily random inspections” at PUV operations, offices, terminals, and depots.
LTFRB said “any driver or vehicle operator found guilty of violating these policies will be punished accordingly, which include fines or revocation of their CPC or PA.”