We Need A Clear Phased Implementation of the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP)

In a recent interview on Radyo Pilipinas (October 10, 2025), LTFRB Executive Director Loumer Bernabe shared that the agency is now focusing on a more strategic, pilot-based roll-out of the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP)--starting with General Santos, Bacolod, Antipolo, Baguio, and Mandaue.

It’s a welcome direction. After years of pursuing a nationwide modernization drive, the shift toward targeted, data-driven pilots finally acknowledges the complexity of public transport reform in the Philippines. A focused approach allows government agencies and local governments to test and refine modernization tools, improve their planning capacity, and design context-specific service models before scaling up.

Since April 2025, SafeTravelPH has been presenting this same approach to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and other relevant stakeholders: that modernization must be phased, network-sensitive, and capacity-building oriented--not rushed as a one-size-fits-all rollout. This recommendation was discussed again in the PTMP June meeting with DOTR-PTMP team, emphasizing how limited institutional capacity and tight budgets have slowed progress despite the program’s strong intentions.

In scientific terms, the idea of a phased transition describes how complex systems evolve from one equilibrium state to another, not through abrupt change, but through gradual reorganization of nodes and connections. In simple terms, a phased transition means change that happens in steps. Not all at once. Systems like transport networks are seen as living webs of connections that adjust and stabilize over time. With a network of not just routes, but communities, operators, and commuter patterns, forming a network that cannot be transformed overnight (or even years) without risking systemic breakdown.

That’s why the shift from our current, mostly informal public transport setup (Phase A) to a modern, efficient, and people-centered system (Phase B) needs a clear roadmap. It’s about guiding the change so cities, operators and workers, and commuters can adapt gradually, keeping services running while improving safety, reliability, and coordination across the network.

Where We Stand: The Reality of Implementation

Eight years since the PTMP was launched, its progress reveals both achievements and gaps:

• Of the 91,000 modernized units targeted, only about 7,500 have been financed so far.

• Around 84% of operators have consolidated, but only 13% of Local Public Transport Route Plans (LPTRPs) have been approved.

• For example, Naga City’s LPTRP, submitted in May 2021, was only approved in July 2025. A four-year wait that shows how thinly stretched the program’s review and validation systems have become.

These figures illustrate a mismatch: operators consolidation has outpaced route planning. Without rationalized and viable routes, and robust financial support based on service demands of route users, even consolidated operators cannot sustainably operate modern fleets.

Worse, no operational subsidy was allocated for 2025 under the Service Contracting Program. Without support for reliable daily operations, many cooperatives have been forced to cut trips or revert to the “boundary” system, stretching drivers’ hours just to survive--the very problem the PTMP was meant to solve. Our researchers have documented these organizational and technical challenges in a recent peer-reviewed paper.

Why Pilot Cities Make Sense

Not all cities are created equal. Urban density determines how viable and efficient a transport system can be. A quick look of a list of cities shows why assumptions of constant revenue and sustained ridership from Metro Manila should not work in other cities.

City densities. Image from a presentation during the Parasol Forum held last April 2025.

High-density areas naturally generate more ridership per kilometer, and less sharp peak-and-non-peak demand difference, allowing operators to maintain frequency and profitability even with higher fuel or labor costs.

“Density is destiny” is a truism in urban planning. By focusing modernization first in denser, more viable cities or route/s in a city--where institutional support, planning data, and passenger demand already exist or can be captured easier--government can build learning and living laboratories that inform how the rest of the country transitions later on.

What We Heard from the Ground

At a planning workshop organized by SafeTravelPH last April 29, 2025, joined by DOTr, NEDA, DHSUD, UP NCTS, and several LGUs, participants surfaced recurring issues that continue to stall the PTMP:

• Rigid planning formulas used in LPTRPs don’t match local realities or financial viability.

• LPTRPs are not business-sensitive, making them hard to implement by operators.

• Formalization increased labor costs without adequate transition support.

• Fleet renewal is prioritized over service redesign and route optimization.

• LGUs lack data and capacity to plan and monitor their local routes.

• Frequent staff turnover in PTMP offices disrupts institutional memory.

The message was clear: Not all LGUs, routes, or cooperatives are the same. Some can modernize immediately; others need technical assistance, planning data, and local infrastructure first.

Modernization Beyond Vehicles

True modernization means reforming how we plan, finance, and manage public transport systems, not just replacing old vehicles.

In addition to other planning recommendations in our recent article, SafeTravelPH’s policy direction calls for the following technical reforms:

• Align LPTRPs with measurable service quality indicators — like waiting time, travel time, and reliability.

• Allow fleet mix models (modern and traditional vehicles) during transition phases to maintain coverage.

• Use network-level route analysis, especially in dense urban corridors where route overlaps are common.

• Develop scenario-based business models, accounting for peak/off-peak operations, fuel prices, and labor costs.

• Adopt area-based and mixed-service franchising, combining local and express services.

• Pilot fleet-sharing arrangements among coops in shared corridors.

• Integrate PUV stops, lanes, and terminals into DPWH’s infrastructure program for better coordination and funding alignment.

Modernization, in this view, is a mobility systems reform, not just a long-term jeepney phase-out program.

The Financing Dilemma

The financial side of modernization remains one of the biggest constraints. Banks like DBP are already tightening credit due to rising loan defaults among cooperatives. Vehicle costs and fuel expenses continue to rise. Meanwhile, LGUs have not invested in data collection systems that could justify better route designs or attract financing support.

To address these, we recommend:

1. Increase subsidy levels for both acquisition and operations to ensure service reliability.

2. Include PTMP infrastructure needs (like PUV stops, terminals, and dedicated lanes) in DPWH’s local infrastructure program.

3. Provide to pilot LGU grants for data-driven LPTRPs and route monitoring systems.

4. Regularize DOTr and LTFRB staff involved in PTMP to strengthen institutional capacity and continuity.

5. Enable LGU co-financing for fleet and operational support: tapping climate, disaster, or local development funds when applicable.

A Phased Transition Strategy

Finally, SafeTravelPH proposes a 7-year phased modernization roadmap that balances reform ambition with implementation realism:

Years 0–3: Major urban areas (pilots). Full implementation, with route and service rationalization and infrastructure support; operational support to ensure quality service levels; and start of fleet renewal (start of a 7-year refleeting program, see example here).

Years 0–5: Intermediate cities. Focus on cooperative campaign for voluntary association while operational consolidation are being tested thru terminals and stops development and management; service reform and route replanning; and start of piloting routes, business models, and coops with modern PUVs and service levels.

Years 0–7: Rural municipalities. Prioritize institutional and coverage strengthening with local and/or congressional funding; vehicle safety, maintenance, and rehabilitation program to ensure compliance to emissions and roadworthiness requirements, not vehicle replacement; and start of pilot routes, business models, and coops with modern PUVs and service levels.

This timeline aligns with banks’ 3-year business plan cycles, 5-year franchises for traditional jeepneys, and 7-year loan repayment periods, making modernization financially and operationally coherent.

These pilots can serve as testbeds for smarter route planning, data systems, and cooperative business models--with real-world monitoring and feedback. SafeTravelPH stands ready to support this direction through technical assistance, data analytics, and planning tools that promote transparency and improve public understanding of the program’s progress.

The Bigger Picture

The modernization of public transport is not just about replacing old jeepneys or buses. It's about redesigning how cities move.

For modernization to work, the Philippines needs to move beyond fleet replacement and embrace planning modernization: better data, better governance, better systems. If implemented strategically, the PTMP can still achieve its goals. But this time, it must be phased, data-driven, and people-centered--anchored on one simple truth: Better planning and programming (yes, that means right budgets!), not just better vehicles, leads to better public transport.