Policy Checkpoints: Inspecting the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Programme in the Philippines

The Public Utility Vehicle Modernization (PUVM) Programme in the Philippines was touted as a comprehensive government solution for the long-standing issues in the Philippines' public transport system. Dubbed the largest non-infrastructure reform in the country, the programme focused on modernising more than 170,000 traditional jeepneys, the most common mode of transport across the country, and the jeepneys’ outdated business model of operations. Despite the buildup that this scheme had generated since its formal inception in 2017, the PUVM program had yet to realise its intended goals as the implementing bodies such as the Department of Transport and local government units faced various political, operational, and technical challenges in the programme’s rollout.

This case study will examine the PUVM, flag specific ruptures in the programme, and provide recommendations to address such ruptures especially in a post-pandemic world.