CITY OF ILAGAN, Isabela: The Ilagan Public Utility Transport Cooperative (IPUTC) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) launched a fleet of public utility vehicles that will ply the city roads and help commuters get safely to their destinations.

The IPUTC-operated units were earlier monitored and inspected by the LTFRB enforcement team as a part of the planning and identification of public road transportation services and issuance of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) prior to the launch.

The PUVMP seeks to have a “restructured, modern, well-managed and environmentally sustainable transport sector.”

LTFRB Regional Director Edward Cabase said the drivers and operators of the modern units “would have a stable, sufficient, and dignified livelihood while commuters get to their destinations quickly, safely and comfortably.”

Cabase said the operators have been given ample time to comply with the modernization after it was extended three times in the past five years.

Routes are opened, he added, as passengers are expected to walk as an alternative because of the population boom in the next five to ten years.

Mayor Jose Marie Diaz said they heeded the Department of Transportation’s order to invest in modern PUVs, which are designed to be “environment-friendly, safe, secure and convenient” and even capable of carrying persons with disabilities.

The city has been assisting cooperatives in their transport service, which was included in the local public transport plan.