The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has announced the distribution of over ₱400 million to Service Contracting Program (SCP) Bus Operators and drivers providing free rides for the Edsa Carousel Busway.

Chairperson Cheloy Garafil of LTFRB stated that the government has successfully paid out ₱445.46 million to all bus operators and drivers who rendered their “Libreng Sakay” service for the 6th to 13th week. She added that payment up to the 15th week is still ongoing.

“The agency is now in close coordination with the public utility bus (PUB) consortia operating the EDSA Busway to begin processing of payments for week 16, which ended last week,” Garafil said.

After numerous complaints from a dismayed lot of operators and bus drivers, LTFRB promised back in July 2022 that they will expedite the distribution of the payouts. This is in compensation for the additional deployment of buses to accommodate passengers during peak hours. All payment backlogs are slated to be fully paid by the end of August.

The SCP dates back to November 2020 as a means to address the displacement of transport workers due to the COVID pandemic, initially receiving ₱5.58 billion in funding under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act.

With the third phase starting back in April 2022, the government has approved another ₱7 billion for the program through the General Appropriations Act of 2022. Libreng Sakay is expected to continue until the end of the year.

[Sources 1,2]

The post Almost ₱450 Million Successfully Paid To Scp Bus Operators And Drivers appeared first on iMoney.ph.