Free Rides Over For Essential Workers In PH After LTFRB Said Funds All Used
FREE RIDES OVER – Essential workers won’t be getting any free rides starting today as funds for the program are depleted.
Following the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, many sectors of the economy were shut down. And, among the most affected was the transportation sector.
As such, many essential workers had trouble going to and from work. Luckily, the government allocated funds to give them free rides under the Republic Act No. 11494, or the Bayanihan to Recover as One-Act.
Initially, the program allocated P5.56 billion to fund the free rides. And, according to data from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, over 31 million rides were provided through the program.
However, the funds for the program have depleted.
Based on an article from Inquirer, the LTFRB said:
Based on the monitoring reports of the LTFRB, it showed that the overall funding has been consumed
It is an honor for the agency to provide this assistance to our commuters, operators, and drivers amid this pandemic
Furthermore, the LTFRB said that the program would stop on Wednesday, December 22, 2021. The program was first launched in November 2020.
As per the article, the LTFRB stated that PUV drivers received contracts for a fixed rate per kilometer of their trip. Moreover, the payment would be received for an entire week’s worth of trips whether the PUV had passengers or none at all.
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