All public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and conductors will be required to go through a comprehensive training on road safety as a prerequisite for franchise renewal, according to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
LTFRB Chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III said the mandatory training is designed to lower the number of road mishaps involving PUVs by ensuring that drivers are aware of and comply with traffic rules and regulations.
Based on Memorandum Circular No. 2024-040, the agency will develop and institutionalize the Driver’s and Conductor’s Academy Program (DCAP), including the accreditation of driving schools to conduct the training and the mandatory road safety education of drivers and conductors of PUVs.
All PUV drivers and conductors of existing franchise holders, with valid and existing CPC and/or Provisional Authority and Special Permits, are required to complete the required course designed by the LTFRB.
The enrollment fee for participants in the program is pegged at P2,000 and must be completed within a minimum of two days but not to exceed eight days. The LTFRB will also provide learning modules to the driving school upon accreditation.
“The first 12 hours of the training will be composed of three components: first, there is a lecture on road safety; number two, they have to undergo a psychological exam or if you are fit to drive or how the driver will react in situations while driving or if the driver has anger issues; and number three would be teaching them basic first aid and life support during accidents,” Guadiz said in a mix of English and Filipino.
“The pilot implementation of this training program will be confined first to Metro Manila and will be limited only to bus and truck drivers and conductors, then from there we will expand it outside after three months to other metropolitan areas in the Philippines. Then for its second year, we will include UV and jeepneys, and the last phase will be motorcycle taxis and TNVS. The training will not be in one go, it is all gradual,” he added.
