The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) announced Friday it has begun consolidating all pending petitions for fare increases, including those for passenger jeepneys that date back to August 2023.

The move comes as the backlog of over 37,000 pending petitions and motions before the LTFRB has been cited as a major contributing factor to the public transportation problems, which Department of Transportation (DoTr) Acting Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez previously described as “chaotic and like war.”

LTFRB chairperson Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II stressed the urgency of addressing the petitions, noting that initial consultations revealed some public utility vehicles (PUVs) were forced to stop operating because they could not cope with the rising operational costs, primarily fuel and maintenance.

“We understand the situation of our countrymen in the PUV sector because the price of crude oil and goods, including spare parts used for maintenance, has truly increased in past years,” Mendoza said.

“But we need to balance everything. We need to come up with the best solution that is acceptable both to the PUV sector and the commuters and other stakeholders that will be directly affected by any fare increase,” he added.

LTFRB data shows at least five major transport groups filed petitions in 2023 seeking fare increases as high as P5 for the minimum fare for the first four kilometers and at least P1 for every succeeding kilometer.

At the time, the LTFRB approved only a P1 provisional increase while sectors were still recovering from the economic impacts of Covid-19 lockdowns. Since 2024, several other transport groups covering passenger buses and taxis have also filed for fare hikes.

Mendoza said that during recent dialogues, transport groups urged the agency to review all petitions, with some members preferring to stop operating since plying their routes is no longer economically viable.

The LTFRB is currently conducting an assessment and accounting of all issued franchises to determine how many are still operational, citing DoTr Secretary Lopez’s observation of a public transportation shortage.

“Part of this assessment and accounting is the study of whether there is a direct relationship between the shortage of PUVs and the challenges in operating public transport,”Mendoza said.