The Quezon City government on Friday said it has crafted an action plan to assist commuters who may be affected by the lack of public transportation due to a week-long transport strike next week.

QC Mayor Joy Belmonte has ordered the city’s Traffic and Transport Management Department to place Quezon City Bus Service bus units on standby for possible deployment to areas with a high number of stranded passengers. These areas include Cubao, Commonwealth Avenue, Welcome (Mabuhay) Rotonda, Novaliches Bayan, LTFRB, East Avenue, Quezon Memorial Circle, and Fairview.

“I have instructed the TTMD to prepare our buses for possible deployment to help our commuters. Makatutulong ang ating mga Q City Bus para mapagaan ang epekto ng transport strike (Our Q City Bus can help cushion the impact of the transport strike),” Belmonte said.

The mayor also instructed all barangays, through the Barangay and Community Relations Department, to use barangay vehicles to provide free rides in their area of responsibility.

The TTMD and Department of Public Order and Safety will monitor areas with a high volume of stranded passengers, including the locations of protest rallies of drivers and operators within the city.

The Quezon City Police District, for its part, said it will deploy personnel in critical areas to ensure order and guarantee the safety of the riding public, especially PUVs that do not participate in the strike.

Belmonte said she has also asked the Quezon City Schools Division Office to conduct asynchronous classes throughout the week. This is doable, she pointed out, given the tablets issued by the city government to public school students. Private schools can also implement online classes at their discretion.

Finally, the city encourages businesses, where doable, to allow work-from-home arrangements for employees.

A number of transport groups will hold a week-long transport strike to protest the national government’s PUV Modernization Program, which initially gave PUV operators until 30 June 30 to form a cooperative or their certificate of public convenience would be revoked.

The Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board on Wednesday extended the deadline to 31 December 2023, but some transport groups said they will push through with the nationwide week-long transport strike.