Question & AnswerQ&A (DOTC DEPARTMENT ORDER NO. 97-1097)
The purpose is to provide a standard classification for all public transport conveyances to avoid confusion among transport service providers and commuters, and to serve as the basis for issuing Certificates of Public Convenience (CPC) for all Public Utility Vehicles (PUV).
Seating capacity is 50 and above excluding the driver and conductor, and the gross vehicle weight is 6,400 kgs and above and/or based on 70 kgs per passenger.
A Public Utility Mini-Bus has a seating capacity of 30-49 excluding driver and conductor, and a gross vehicle weight between 4,000 and 6,399 kgs and/or 70 kgs per passenger.
Public Utility Jeepneys may operate on fixed routes (regular, limited-stop, or express) or variable routes within specified areas, with ceiling distances of 15 kilometers for urban routes and 30 kilometers for inter-urban/provincial routes unless authorized otherwise.
Fares are based on distance or zonal arrangements as authorized by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
Filcabs may carry passengers or freight or both, should not compete with higher-occupancy public utility vehicles on the majority of their route, and have a fifteen kilometer ceiling distance unless authorized otherwise.
Taxis are four or five-door automobiles with a seating capacity of four excluding the driver, have no fixed route but operate within a specified area, use ordinary or air-conditioned ventilation, charge a minimum rate plus fees per unit distance and time, and are standardly colored white.
A valid contract between an establishment or residents association and the common carrier is required to grant a franchise for shuttle services.
Vehicles must be sedans, Asian Utility Vehicles, pickups, mini-coaches, or coaches; trips are special tours without fixed routes to/from tourist areas; fares are approved by LTFRB; accreditation by the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) or Department of Tourism (DOT) is required; and picking up passengers along the way is prohibited.
They may be sedans, AUVs, vans, jitney types, station wagons, mini-coaches or coaches with entry and exit doors and steel grilled windows, and must display black and yellow stripes at the rear; routes are without fixed route to/from school premises; fares are authorized by LTFRB; and operation is based on a valid contract between the school and transport provider.