GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 8 March) – The city government here will launch another round of crackdown against “kolorum” tricycles to address traffic congestion and fast-track the rationalization of the area’s public transportation system.
Maximo Layugan, City Transport and Traffic Management Division head, said Friday they will rid the city’s streets of tricycles that are conveying passengers with expired and without franchises issued by the local government in line with its “no franchise, no travel policy.”
He said the move was a result of the dismal response from tricycle owners regarding the city’s call for the renewal of all tricycle franchises and the reopening of the application for new tricycles.
Citing their records, he said only 1,449 tricycle owners have renewed their franchises from 2022 to February this year while 606 have applied for new franchises since it opened in December 2023.
“That’s very low since the estimated volume of tricycles plying our streets is around 33,000,” Layugan said in a radio interview.
In the meantime, he said they have started a massive information campaign to warn tricycle owners regarding the upcoming crackdown and encourage them to immediately secure proper franchises from the Motorized Tricycle Franchising and Regulatory Board to avoid apprehension.
He said they have not set a timeline for the information drive and will continue until they receive the go-signal for the full implementation of the “no franchise, no travel” policy.
Layugan appealed to tricycle owners to take advantage of the information dissemination period since the renewal and application of franchise is “first come, first served” basis.
He said the local government will not be able to issue franchises to all 33,000 tricycles in the city since studies showed that the ideal volume for the area is only around 16,000.
“Those that would not make the cut-off will no longer be allowed to convey passengers and will be apprehended,” he said.
The official said only tricycle owners who are legitimate residents in any of the city’s 27 barangays will be issued with franchises and those from adjacent areas are banned from entering the area.
He added that they deployed additional enforcers in the city’s border highways and alternate roads to stop the entry of tricycles from neighboring localities in South Cotabato and Sarangani provinces. (Allen V. Estabillo / MindaNews)