Manila: Philippine jeepney drivers started a 12-day strike yesterday to protest the phaseout of the iconic public transportation that would give way to carbon-free mini buses.
They’re demonstrating against a Dec 31 government deadline for jeepney operators to surrender their franchises and consolidate into cooperatives in line with a programme to replace the ubiquitous, gas-guzzling vehicles with mini buses whose motors are mostly powered by electricity.
Public transport operators are also asking for more financial support to make the shift.
About 70% of operators have already committed to participate in the programme, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said last week, and they can continue providing services until end 2024.
Those who won’t meet the year-end deadline would immediately lose their permits to operate.
While the six-year-old programme supports the country’s goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by the end of the decade from 2020 levels, the government wants to balance the initiative by shielding those affected by the shift to electric vehicles (EVs) and prevent them from losing their livelihoods.
Earlier this year, official data showed that only 4% of the roughly 160,000 jeepneys have been replaced by EVs. — Bloomberg
