ONE of the positive developments during the pandemic is the recognition that public transportation is an essential service — it needs to be reliable and predictable. Many Filipinos depend on public transport to get to places of employment and to reach vital social services. Public transport therefore needs to be placed on a stable and sustainable financial basis — it should continue to operate in good times and bad, just as government hospitals and public schools do. Services cannot be purely dependent on private initiative; with many passengers or few, their operations are crucial. This is why service contacting is an important and meaningful reform.
Under service contracting, transport operators have long-term contracts to deliver services according to an agreed plan and based on standards covering aspects like cleanliness, timeliness and driver behavior. To motivate the delivery of high-quality services, performance is monitored using IT/electronic devices, inspections and passenger surveys — penalties are applied when service standards are not met.
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