The public utility vehicle modernization program of the Department of Transportation hit a snag after the 2023 National Expenditure Program did contain its proposed P778-million budget, DoTr Undersecretary Mark Steven Pastor disclosed Tuesday.

Pastor made the revelation in response to Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel's question regarding the department's P4.2 billion PUV modernization program during the House Committee on Appropriations' budget deliberations.

"For 2023, the proposal was P778 million, but it was not included in the NEP," Pastor said.

Following the discovery, Manuel urged the committee to allocate some funding for the program.

"We should look for ways to fund this. It's shocking. Many drivers want to ply the roads but have stopped because it has already been very difficult to continue plying roads using traditional jeepneys," he said.

"What more if we would ask them to shift to modern PUVs?"

According to the DoTr official, there are approximately 5,300 modern PUVs and 300 electric vehicles plying nationwide, accounting for about 10 percent of all PUVs.

Pastor disclosed that the modern unit jeep for class 1 costs between P1.2 to 1.4 million, P1.4 million to 2 million for class 2 and P2 million to 2.8  million for class 3.

The transport sector offers each driver who wants to switch to a modern PUV unit a P160,000 equity subsidy for the PUV program on top of the costs of their traditional jeepneys.