The Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will intensify their crackdown through a reinforced anti-overloading (anti-sardinas) policy.

Under the stricter rules, no public utility vehicle (PUV) may accept passengers beyond the maximum capacity set by manufacturers.

Violators, whether drivers or operators, face the suspension or outright cancellation of their Certificate of Public convenience or their authorization to operate.

LTO chief Gregorio Pua said that commuters should expect more law enforcers to monitor major roads and highways to implement the policy.

He said the LTO has been deploying inspection teams, but these have been focused on the road worthiness of PUVs.

The LTFRB cited a rise in complaints from commuters inconvenienced by overfilled vehicles as the reason for the tougher policy.

Traditional jeeps can carry from 12 to 32 passengers. Modern jeeps may still carry standing passengers, but these must not exceed five people per square meter.

Buses are capped at around 50 passengers, with standing allowed only within specified limits.

Meanwhile, UV Express vehicles can carry only nine passengers including the driver for AUVs, ten for regular vans, and up to twelve for extended vans.

The perennial problem of commuters packed literally like sardines in public utility vehicles, especially during rush hour, is once again under scrutiny as transportation regulators move for strict enforcement of measures against overloading.

Violators risk the suspension or loss of their franchises.

Transport advocate group Move as One Coalition, however, criticized the LTFRB and LTO’s plan, arguing that fines and franchise revocations for PUV operators who exceed capacity would do little to solve the deeper crisis.

“Such punitive measures will only add to the hardships of commuters and PUV operators and even worsen PUV overloading, which may put commuter safety at risk,” the group said in a statement.

They said the root cause of overloading is a “chronic undersupply of PUVs, which has resulted from LTFRB’s own restrictive policies from 1994 to 2017.”

The group urged regulators to lift moratoriums on franchises, particularly on high-demand routes, and to study actual commuter data closely so that more franchises can be granted, ultimately increasing the number of vehicles serving the public.