Ensuring the maintenance of good road conditions, having visible street signs, and regulating and penalizing traffic violations are just some of the things the government needs to do to help ensure road users in the Philippines are safe. Fortunately, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has help from multiple government agencies, including but not limited to the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), among others.
As one of the many agencies attached to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) was officially established on June 19, 1987 to promulgate, administer, enforce, and monitor the compliance of policies, laws, and regulations of public land transportation services. As an agency, it has gone through a series of transformations, from being before it evolved into the LTFRB as we know it right now.
What is the LTFRB Philippines
The LTFRB stands for the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. It is an agency of the Philippine government tasked with overseeing all vehicles used for public conveyance. The agency also takes care of the issuance of certificates of public convenience (CPCs) and regulation and adjustment of fares and routes or areas of operations for all public land transportation services—from jeeps, taxis, and buses—as well as the new transport network vehicle services like Grab.
Aside from these, the LTFRB is also the agency in-charge of entertaining and addressing complaints against public transport drivers. In cases of violations or accidents involving public transport vehicles, then it is the LTFRB who mete out penalties, cancels franchises, and revokes driver’s licenses as needed.
LTFRB History
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has a long history dating back to the early 1900s. It started out as the Coastwise Rate Commission, a commission in charge of classifying vessels, merchandise, and passengers and fixing the maximum rates to be imposed on the vessels and merchandise of different classes, and people that are being moved from one point to another. Since then, it has gone through different transformations, starting from becoming the Board of Public Utility Commissioners in 1913 to becoming the Public Service Commission in 1926. Later, it became the Land Transportation Commission and then the
Bureau of Land Transportation, before becoming the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) office as we know it.
LTFRB Scope of Service
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is an agency of the people, just like the rest of the organizations nationwide. However, they primarily serve workers dealing with the following public vehicles:
- Public Utility Buses (PUBs)
- Mini-buses
- Public Utility Jeepneys (PUJs)
- Utility Vehicle (UV) Express Services
- Filcab service
- school services
- taxies
- Transportation Network Vehicle Services (TNVS), and
- Tourist Transport Services.
Mission, Vision, and Mandate
Like any other organization, the operations and the execution of the mandate of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is guided by the following mission and vision.
Mission
The LTFRB operates to ensure that the commuting public has adequate, safe, convenient, environment-friendly and dependable public land transportation services at reasonable rates. This, they do by implementing land-based transportation policies, programs, and projects that are responsive to an investment-led and demand-driven industry.
Vision
The agency looks forward to offering world-class land transportation services which will contribute to the overall development of the country, improvement of the socio-economic status of its stakeholders, and the promotion of the welfare of the general public.
Mandate
To achieve such a goal, the agency promulgates, administers, enforces, and monitors compliance of policies, laws, and regulations of public land transportation services.
LTFRB Functions
According to Section 17 (a) of the Public Service Act, the Commission, now known as the LTFRB, shall have power to require any public service to furnish safe, adequate and efficient service as the public interest may required and warrant; to enforce compliance with any standard rules, regulations, order or other requirements of this Act of the Commission, without previous hearing subject to established limitation and exceptions.
The agency was designed to operate with the following functions:
- To prescribe and regulate routes of service, economically viable capacities and zones or areas of operation of public land transportation services provided by motorized vehicles in accordance with the public land transportation development plans and programs approved by the Department of Transportation (DOTr);
- To issue, amend, revise, suspend or cancel Certificates of Public Convenience or permits authorizing the operation of public land transportation services provided by motorized vehicles, and to prescribe the appropriate terms and conditions therefore;
- To determine, prescribe and approve and periodically review and adjust, reasonable fares, rates and other related charges, relative to the operation of public land transportation services provided by motorized vehicles;
- To conduct investigations and hearings of complaints for violation of the public service laws on land transportation and of the Board’s rules and regulations, orders, decisions and/or rulings and to impose fines and/or penalties for such violations;
- To issue subpoena and subpoena duces tecum and summon witnesses to appear in any proceedings of the Board, to administer oaths and affirmations;
- To issue preliminary or permanent injunction, whether prohibitory or mandatory, in all cases in which it has jurisdiction, and in which cases the pertinent provisions of the Rules of Court shall apply;
- To punish for contempt of the Board, both direct and indirect, in accordance with the pertinent provisions of, and the penalties prescribed by, the Rules of Court;
- To review motu proprio the decisions/actions of the Regional Franchising and Regulatory Office herein created;
- To promulgate rules and regulations governing proceedings before the Board and the Regional Franchising and Regulatory Office: Provided, that except with respect to the other terms and conditions stated hereof, the rules of procedure and evidence prevailing in the courts of laws should not be controlling and it is the spirit and intention of said rules that the Board and the Regional Franchising and Regulatory Offices shall use every and all reasonable means to ascertain facts in its case speedily and objectively and without regard to technicalities of law and procedures, all in the interest of due process;
- To fix, impose and collect, and periodically review and adjust, reasonable fees and other related charges for services rendered;
- To formulate, promulgate, administer, implement and enforce rules and regulations on land transportation public utilities, standards of measurements and/or design, and rules and regulations requiring operators of any public land transportation service to equip, install and provide in their utilities and in their stations such devices, equipment facilities and operating procedures and techniques as may promote safety, protection, comfort and convenience to persons and property in their charges as well as the safety of persons and property within their areas of operations;
- To coordinate and cooperate with other government agencies and entities concerned with any aspect involving public land transportation services with the end in view of effecting continuing improvement of such services; and
- To perform such other functions and duties as may be provided by law, or as may be necessary, or proper or incidental to the purposes and objectives of this Executive Order.
- To ensure that vehicles to be utilized for public convenience are roadworthy and properly maintained to enable the public utility operator to provide safe, reliable, comfortable and efficient service.
- To ensure that The public utility operator assumes the responsibility for providing and maintaining safe, reliable and efficient service. On the other hand, the government shall allow only those vehicles that meet established physical, technical and service standards to operate.
Initiatives, Projects, and Services
Some of the LTFRB’s projects and services include:
Pantawid Pasada Program (PPP) or Fuel Subsidy (FS) Card under the Fuel Subsidy Program (FSP)
This is a relatively new project of the LTFRB designed to help support the operators and drivers of the public transport sector nationwide in face of the continuous oil hike.
Some of the eligible beneficiaries and the equivalent subsidy they can receive from the program include:
P 10,000.00
- Modernized Public Utility Jeepney (MPUJ)
- Modernized Utility Vehicle Express (MUVE)
P 6,500.00
- Traditional Public Utility Jeepney (TPUJ)
- Traditional Utility Vehicle Express (TUVE)
- Public Utility Bus (PUB)
- Minibuses (MB)
- Taxis
- Shuttle Transport Services (SHT)
- Transportation Network Vehicle Services (TNVS)
- Tourist Transport Services (TTS)
- School Transport Services (STS)
- Filcabs
P 1,200.00
- Delivery Services
P 1,000.00
- Tricycles
If you are an operator of any of the above-mentioned public transport service and you have a valid Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC) or Provisional Authority (PA), you can receive the said subsidy through any of the following:
- Existing and Valid Pantawid Pasada Program (PPP) Card;
- Existing and Valid Fuel Subsidy (FS) Card; or
- Bank Account
Simply contact the LTFRB Regional Franchising and Regulatory Office (RFRO) to check when your PPP o FS Card is available.
PUV Modernization
In June 2017, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) issued the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) or Omnibus Guidelines on the Planning and Identification of Public Road Transportation Services and Franchise Insurance under the Department Order No. 2017-011.
The PUVMP is a hallmark program designed to restructure, modernize, and employ a well-managed and environmentally sustainable transport sector while ensuring that drivers and operators have stable and sufficient livelihood and that commuters get to commute swiftly, safely, and comfortably. It is considered to be revolutionary in terms of road-based public land transportation and is supposed to steer the country to having an improved riding experience that will benefit generations of Filipino passengers.
The basics of the PUVMP are as follows:
- The basic policy starts with the DOTr reducing the reliance on the use of private vehicles by promotion of mobility solutions and high-quality and environmentally-sound transportation systems prioritizing the movement of people and goods over vehicles.
- The department needs to disseminate, administer, and oversee the compliance of public land transportation policies, laws, and regulations which promote the basic human need for mobility.
- LTFRB needs to support and reinforce the operators and establish a bigger and coordinated fleet of PUVs.
- The LTFRB also has to incentivize or prioritize the operators with larger fleets of PUVs with higher passenger capacity.
- The program also offers a special loan program with coordination with Land Bank and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) to help soften the impact and accommodate the small operators who will be affected by the PUVMP.
- Various training and social programs shall be given under this program.
EnTsuperneur Program
The EnTsuperneur Program is a livelihood project jointly carried out by the LTFRB and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). The program was designed to serve as the social support component of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP). It’s meant to offer additional income to former drivers and operators who were affected by the PUVMP.
Public Utility Drivers Academy Program
The Public Utility Drivers Academy Program is a free seminar designed by the LTFRB, LTO, University of the Philippines, and De La Salle University. It aims to inform and educate drivers of the basics of road safety, driving courtesy, and traffic regulations and regulations. The seminar is composed of four core modules, namely:
- anger management
- road courtesy
- traffic rules, and
- terms and conditions of a franchise
Fare rates
The LTFRB is the premiere agency in charge of regulating fares of public vehicles. In 2003, LTFRB granted a 20% fare discount to senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWD) and students to give their needs the utmost priority.
Oplan Balik Eskwela Program
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) offers a 20% discount in fares for students who take the public ride, regardless if it’s a holiday, a weekend, or during vacation in accordance with Republic Act 11314.
Anti-colorum campaign
The LTFRB also established the colorum violation to stop the colorum—unauthorized—public utility vehicles from operation. The LTFRB’s anti-colorum campaign involves the following;
- conduct anti-colorum operations more effectively by increasing the presence of intelligence in communities.
- The public may engage in the efforts by reporting colorum vehicles on the Inter-Agency Council for Traffic Facebook page.
Regulation of Transport Network Companies (TNCs) and Transport Network Vehicle Services (TNVS)
The LTFRB is also in charge of ensuring that only those with franchises can operate as a public vehicle. The agency also supervises and regulates ride sharing and imposes punishment for those vehicles illegally operating as a public vehicle without a franchise. This covers both the TNVS and TNCs.
Some of the other services offered by the LTFRB under this program include:
- regulating fares of TNVS
- application and approval/denial of franchise
- setting of fares, routes, and operating conditions
- imposition of fines and suspension and
- cancellation of franchise
- issuance of permits to TNVS drivers – including the provisional authority (PA), the temporary permit valid for 45 days, and the Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC) franchise which is valid for a year
Other Services
Other services offered by the agency include:
- Franchise Verification
Any person who intends to check the details and status of a franchise can go to the LTFRB.
- Issuance of Special Permit
Any holder of Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC) who intends to request permission to make trips outside of the authorized route for purposes of excursions, educational trips, outings, retreat, or the like may get a special permit from the agency.
- Consolidation of case assignment
The agency also serves CPC holders who intend to apply for a single case number assignment (consolidated cases) of their CPC’s having identical or parallel routes or common area of operation per franchise.
- Extension of CPC Validity
The LTFRB allows extension of CPC validity to CPC holders who intend to extend the validity of their expiring or expired CPC. Operators can already apply for this service one year prior to expiration of their CPC.
- Confirmation of Unit registrations
Any holder of CPC who intends to have the authorized unit confirmed for the annual registration with the Land Transportation Office.
- Provisional Authority
A provisional remedy to any person who intends to operate their unit/s while their franchise applications are pending with the agency.
- Motion for Relief
Any person who intends to ask for relief from the assailed decision or order.
- Register in Lieu
CPC holder who intends to register a new unit in lieu of the authorized unit that is not yet registered.
- Extension of Validity w/ Dropping and Substitution
Holder of CPC who intends to drop an authorized unit and substitute it with a new unit.
- Dropping of Unit
CPC holder or any vendee who intends to drop an authorized unit.
- Dropping and Substitution of Unit
Holder of CPC who intends to drop an authorized unit and substitute it with a new unit.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
For your reference, here are some common questions and answers regarding the LTFRB:
1. What is the difference between the LTO and the LTFRB?
Currently, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) is in charge of overseeing private cars in the country, while the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is responsible for public vehicles.
2. Is there a person I can reach out to if I have complaints or concerns?
Yes. You may contact the LTFRB Public Assistance Complaint Desk (PACD) via the following contact:
Summary
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) serves as part of the numerous agencies working with the Department of Transportation (DOTr). These agencies ensure that the roads remain safe both for the drivers, operators, passengers, and pedestrians, through the regulation of drivers and vehicles and their licenses and if they will be allowed on the roads. The LTFRB also mete out penalties, cancels franchises, revokes driver’s licenses, and carry out various programs and services to those who need them.
Contact Information
For more information, you may contact the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) via the following:
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)
Office Address: LTFRB Central Office, Brgy. Pinyahan, East Avenue, Quezon City
Email Address: pacd@ltfrb.gov.ph, complaints@ltfrb.gov.ph
Facebook: fb.com/ltfrb.central.ph
24/7 Hotline: 1342