MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — Acting on complaints that some drivers in the government's 'Libreng Sakay' program

are refusing passengers or have gone off-route, a city councilor in Cebu is asking the Department of Transportation (DoTr) to conduct a probe and clear the matter forthright.

More than three weeks since the launch of the initiative for the Urgello, Cebu City–Parkmall, Mandaue City route, some modern public utility jeepneys (MPUJs) selected for the program are reportedly no longer picking up passengers and are now in 'hiding'.

In reaction, Cebu City councilor Winston Pepito, who chairs the committee on transportation, is calling for an investigation into the free ride program currently being implemented by DoTr.

Pepito also urged the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to intervene to ensure that public utility operators and drivers fulfill their responsibilities under the program.

Last July 23, the transportation department launched Libreng Sakay in Cebu with the goal of accommodating 20,000 passengers daily. The pilot area covered is considered one of the busiest routes in the city which is being traversed by at least one thousand MPUJs,

Under the program, a total of 100 modern public utility vehicles (MPUVs) were selected to participate with an allocated budget of PhP150 million to PhP160 million, including the PhP350,000 daily subsidy for operators.

In dialogues with passenger jeepney and bus drivers, Pepito learned that some of them feel unmotivated because they only receive fixed boundary fee from operators and not paid per passenger or trip.

The councilor said drivers told him that they prefer not to join the program as they earned more before, especially during peak hours.