Guidelines on the Specifications of PUJs (Class 1, 2 and 3) and UV Express Service (Class 3) Per Type or Denomination Covered by D.O. No. 2017-011 ( LTFRB Memorandum Circular No. 2021-002 )

February 2, 2021

LTFRB MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 2021-002

 

WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation ("DOTr") issued Department Order No. 011, series of 2017, otherwise known as the Omnibus Guidelines on the Planning and Identification of Public Road Transportation Services and Franchise Issuance or Omnibus Franchising Guidelines ("OFG"), which aims to provide a reliable, safe, accessible, environment-friendly, dependable, efficient, and comfortable public road transportation throughout the country; HTcADC

WHEREAS, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board ("LTFRB" and/or "Board"), a sectoral agency of the DOTr, is tasked to implement the OFG;

WHEREAS, the Bureau of Philippine Standards has issued the Philippine National Standards (PNS 2627:2017) of Class 2 and Class 3 Public Utility Vehicles in September 2017 and Philippine National Standard (PNS 2131:2018) of Class 1 Public Utility Vehicles in support of the PUV Modernization Program of the DOTr and LTFRB; has issued on 2017 and 2018 the dimensional limits for Class 2, Class 3 and Class 1 PUVs, specifying therein the dimensional limits of said type of PUVs;

NOW THEREFORE, pursuant to Section 5 of Executive Order No. 202 mandates the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) "to prescribe and regulate routes of service, economically viable capacities and zones or areas of operation of public land transportation services provided by motorized vehicles in accordance with the public land transportation development plans and programs approved by the Department of Transportation and Communications" and "to formulate, promulgate, administer, implement and enforce rules and regulations on land transportation public utilities, standards of measurements and/or design, and rules and regulations requiring operators of any public land transportation service to equip, install and provide in their utilities and in their stations such devices, equipment facilities and operating procedures and techniques as may promote safety, protection, comfort and convenience to persons and property in their charges as well as the safety of persons and property within their areas of operations"; and "to perform such other functions and duties as may be provided by law, or as may be necessary, or proper or incidental to the purposes and objectives of this Department Order,"this Board RESOLVES as it hereby RESOLVED to promulgate and adopt the following guidelines on the Standard Specifications of Public Utility Vehicles.

I.

COVERAGE

This Memorandum Circular ("M.C.") shall cover the standard specification of all PUJs (Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3) and UV Express (Class 3).

II.

BODY TYPE, MEASUREMENT AND DIMENSION

In addition to the body make of PUVs under the OFG, the following minimum specifications shall be complied with:

A. PUJs (Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3)

1. The Board adopts the Philippine National Standards ("PNS") 2131:2018 and 2126:2017 approved by the Department of Trade and Industry-Bureau of Philippine Standards ("DTI-BPS"). The said PNS specifies dimensional limits for PUJ Class 1 and PUJ Class 2 and Class 3, respectively, to wit:

a. Overall height, width, and length

 

Classification	Overall Height, minimum	Overall Width, maximum	Overall Length, maximum
Class 1	Must conform to the floor-to-ceiling height of 150 cm.	175 cm	450 cm
Class 2	Must conform to the floor-to-ceiling height of 175 cm.	235 cm	700 cm
Class 3

 

No tolerances are needed for the specified minimum and maximum dimensions as external projections are allowed up to 25cm maximum on all sides of the PUV (beyond the front bumper, rear bumper, both sides, and top of the vehicle).

b. Wheelbase and Front and Rear Overhang

The wheelbase, rear overhang, and front overhang shall be based on the original equipment manufacturer specifications.

c. Cabin Dimensions

 

Minimum Cabin Dimensions

Classification	Floor-to-Ceiling Height	Seat Layout	Gangway Width
Class 1	150 cm	Side-facing	60 cm
front-facing	35 cm
Class 2	175 cm	Side-facing	80 cm
Class 3	175 cm	Front-facing	35 cm

 

No tolerance is needed for the floor-to-ceiling height. The required minimum dimensions shall be strictly followed to allow sufficient head room inside the cabin.

Likewise, no tolerance is needed for the gangway width as the specified minimum required dimensions shall be strictly followed to allow sufficient leg room or access inside the cabin.

d. Seat Dimensions and Seat Layout

i. Minimum Seat Dimensions

 

Parameters	Individual Seats	Continuous Seats
Seat depth	35 cm	35 cm
Width seat cushion (hip)	40 cm	40 cm
Width seat back (shoulder)	40 cm	40 cm
Armrest to top seat cushion	22 cm	22 cm

 

No tolerance is needed for the minimum seat depth dimension. The specified required dimension shall be strictly followed to provide ample seating space for passengers.

Armrests are optional. If armrests are to be installed, no tolerance is needed thus the specified minimum dimension shall be strictly followed.

However, a 5% tolerance or 2cm below the minimum dimensions specified for the seat cushion and seat back (backrest) is allowed.

ii. Seat Layout

 

Parameters	Dimensions
Floor to top seat cushion (Class 1, 2, 3)	40 cm to 50 cm
Minimum distance between backseats: front-facing (Class 1)	65 cm
Minimum distance between backseats: side-facing (Class 1)	130 cm
Minimum distance between backseats: front-facing (Class 3)	65 cm
Minimum distance between backseats: side-facing (Class 2)	150 cm

 

No tolerance is needed for the floor-to-top seat cushion height as a range between 40 to 50 cm has already been specified.

Likewise, no tolerance is needed for the distance between backseats as the specified minimum required dimensions shall be strictly followed to give comfortable seating space between seated passengers.

e. Minimum space for each standing passenger (applicable only for Class 2)

The minimum space for each standing passenger shall be 0.16 m2

f. Step Board Dimensions

 

Parameters	Class 1, 2, 3
Ground to top of step board	30 cm to 40 cm
Width of step board, minimum	25 cm
Height per step	12 cm to 35 cm
Width per step, minimum	25 cm

 

No tolerance is needed for the ground to top of step board height as a range between 30 to 40 cm has already been specified. However, it is recommended that the height be nearer to 30 cm.

Likewise, no tolerance is needed for the height per step as a range between 12 to 35 cm has already been specified.

A 6% tolerance or 1.5cm below the minimum width specified for the step board and width per step is allowed.

g. Service Door Dimensions aScITE

The main service door is on the right-hand side and shall be either power or manually operated to provide the driver easy control while seated. The service door dimensions shall be:

 

Parameters	Class 1	Class 2 & 3
Entry height	150 cm	165 cm
Aperture height	-	140 cm
Door pathway width	65 cm	65 cm

 

No tolerance is needed for the service door dimensions as these are minimum accepted practice and industry standards for access/entry way.

h. Emergency Exit Dimensions

The emergency exit could be a door, a window, or a hatch. The emergency exit dimensions shall be:

 

Aperture	Minimum Dimensions	Remarks
Emergency doors	Height: 125 cm Width: 55 cm
Emergency windows	Aperture area (Class 1): 4,000 cm2	It shall be possible to inscribe in this area a rectangle of 50 cm x 70 cm
Escape hatches	Aperture area (Class 1): 4,000 cm2	It shall be possible to inscribe in this area a rectangle of 50 cm x 70 cm
Aperture area (Class 2 & 3): 4,500 cm2	It shall be possible to inscribe in this area a rectangle of 60 cm x 70 cm

 

No tolerance is needed for the minimum emergency exit dimensions. The specified required dimensions shall be strictly followed as these are highly important to the safety of the riding public during emergencies.

i. Hand Rails

The length of gangway hand rail shall be 10 cm at the minimum. The bottom of the hand rail shall be at 140 cm for Class 1 and 165 cm for Class 2 and 3 at the maximum from the floor.

The length of the service door handrail shall be 30 cm at the minimum. Height of center of the service door hand rail shall be 80 to 110 cm on both sides above the first step board.

No tolerance is needed for the hand rail installation requirements. The specified required dimensions shall be strictly followed as these consider the average height of the riding public.

j. External Projection

A maximum external projection of 25 cm beyond the front bumper, rear bumper, both sides, and top of the vehicle shall be allowed.

No tolerance is needed for the external projection requirements. The specified required dimension is already at maximum allowing additional 25 cm on all sides of the PUV.

k. Field of Vision

The driver's field of vision shall conform to the Addendum 124: UN Regulation No. 125.

B. UV EXPRESS SERVICE (CLASS 3)

1. Specifications must conform to that of PUV Class 3 dimensional limits stated on the Philippine National Standards ("PNS") 2126:2017.

a. Overall height, width, and length

 

Classification	Overall Height, minimum	Overall Width, minimum	Overall Length, minimum
Class 3 (UV)	Must conform to the floor-to-ceiling height of 175 cm.	235 cm	700 cm

 

No tolerances are needed for the specified minimum and maximum dimensions as external projections are allowed up to 25cm maximum on all sides of the PUV (beyond the front bumper, rear bumper, both sides, and top of the vehicle).

b. Wheelbase and Front and Rear Overhang

The wheelbase, rear overhang, and front overhang shall be based on the original equipment manufacturer specifications.

c. Cabin Dimensions

 

Minimum Cabin Dimensions

Classification	Floor-to-Ceiling Height	Seat Layout	Gangway Width
Class 3 (UV)	175 cm	Front-facing	35 cm

 

No tolerance is needed for the floor-to-ceiling height. The required minimum dimensions shall be strictly followed to allow sufficient head room inside the cabin.

Likewise, no tolerance is needed for the gangway width as the specified minimum required dimensions shall be strictly followed to allow sufficient leg room or access inside the cabin.

d. Seat Dimensions and Seat Layout

i. Minimum Seat Dimensions

 

Parameters	Individual Seats	Continuous Seats
Seat depth	35 cm	35 cm
Width cushion (hip)	40 cm	40 cm
Width seat back	40 cm	40 cm
Armrest to top seat cushion	22 cm	22 cm

 

No tolerance is needed for the minimum seat depth dimension. The specified required dimension shall be strictly followed to provide ample seating space for passengers.

Armrests are optional. If armrests are to be installed, no tolerance is needed thus the specified minimum dimension shall be strictly followed.

However, a 5% tolerance or 2cm below the minimum dimensions specified for the seat cushion and seat back (backrest) is allowed.

ii. Seat Layout

 

Parameters	Dimensions
Floor to top seat cushion (Class 3)	40 cm to 50 cm
Minimum distance between backseats: front-facing (Class 3)	65 m

 

No tolerance is needed for the floor-to-top seat cushion height as a range between 40 to 50 cm has already been specified.

Likewise, no tolerance is needed for the distance between backseats as the specified minimum required dimensions shall be strictly followed to give comfortable seating space between seated passengers. HEITAD

e. Step Board Dimensions

 

Parameters	Class 3 (UV)
Ground to top of step board	30 cm to 40 cm
Width of step board, minimum	25 cm
Height per step	12 cm to 35 cm
Width per step, minimum	25 cm

 

No tolerance is needed for the ground to top of step board height as a range between 30 to 40 cm has already been specified. However, it is recommended that the height be nearer to 30 cm.

Likewise, no tolerance is needed for the height per step as a range between 12 to 35 cm has already been specified.

A 6% tolerance or 1.5 cm below the minimum width specified for the step board and width per step is allowed.

f. Service Door Dimensions

The main service door is on the right-hand side and shall be either power or manually operated to provide the driver easy control while seated. The service door dimensions shall be:

 

Parameters	Class 3 (UV)
Entry height	165 cm
Aperture height	140 cm
Door pathway width	65 cm

 

No tolerance is needed for the service door dimensions as these are minimum accepted practice and industry standard for access/entry way.

g. Emergency Exit Dimensions

The emergency exit could be a door, a window, or a hatch. The emergency exit dimensions shall be:

 

Aperture	Minimum Dimensions	Remarks
Emergency doors	Height: 125 cm Width: 55 cm
Emergency windows	Aperture area: 4,000 cm2	It shall be possible to inscribe in this area a rectangle of 50 cm x 70 cm
Escape hatches	Aperture area: 4,500 cm2	It shall be possible to inscribe in this area a rectangle of 60 cm x 70 cm

 

No tolerance is needed for the minimum emergency exit dimensions. The specified required dimensions shall be strictly followed as these are highly important to the safety of the riding public during emergencies.

h. Hand Rails

The length of gangway hand rail shall be 10 cm at the minimum. The bottom of the hand rail shall be at 165 cm for Class 3 (UV) at the maximum from the floor.

The length of the service door handrail shall be 30 cm at the minimum. Height of center of the service door hand rail shall be 80 to 110 cm on both sides above the first step board.

No tolerance is needed for the hand rail installation requirements. The specified required dimensions shall be strictly followed as these consider the average height of the riding public.

i. External Projection

A maximum external projection of 25 cm beyond the front bumper, rear bumper, both sides, and top of the vehicle shall be allowed.

No tolerance is needed for the external projection requirements. The specified required dimension is already at maximum allowing additional 25 cm on all sides of the PUV.

j. Field of Vision

The driver's field of vision shall conform to the Addendum 124: UN Regulation No. 125.

All manufacturers and distributors of modernized units must comply with the specifications provided by the DTI-PNS and this Memorandum Circular, and secure a Certificate of Compliance from DOTr.

All Public Utility Vehicles included in the coverage of the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines must be compliant with the DENR emission standards or better.

III.

OTHER VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS

Other vehicle requirements and/or features of PUVs under the OFG shall conform to the following minimum standards:

A. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Receiver

1. The GNSS receivers to be installed must conform to the specifications, data format, and operational requirements set by the Board in M.C. No. 2015-013. Device providers shall submit their devices to the Board to undergo the testing procedures pursuant to M.C. No. 2015-024.

B. WiFi

1. Provision of WiFi;

2. Free for all passengers;

3. The maximum user is based on the maximum seating capacity.

C. Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)

1. The CCTV must be continuously recording the past seventy-two (72) hours of operation; suitable to detect, monitor, recognize, and identify persons;

2. Four (4) CCTVs Installed in conspicuous part of the PUV and should cover all of its angles, including that of the door, the passengers, and driver.

D. Automatic Fare Collection System (AFCS)

1. PUJs and UV Express Service are required to have installed integrated and interoperable AFCS. Transport operators may freely select from among the AFC providers available in the market and avail of their services through entering into Service Agreements. Such Service Agreements must specify that the AFC provider shall comply with the forthcoming National Standard and Business Rules within the two (2)-year transition period.

2. To ensure that an integrated and interoperable system can be achieved in the medium term, the DOTr/LTFRB shall issue a national technical standard and specifications for the AFC industry ("National Standards"). The announcement of the National Standard will also specify a testing and certification process to ensure that all AFC devices and fare media are compliant with the National Standard.

E. Speed Limiter

1. The speed limiter must conform to the specifications and standards pursuant to Republic Act ("R.A.") No. 10916, otherwise known as the "Road Speed Limiter Act of 2016."

F. Dashboard Camera

1. Must have recording for at least twenty-four (24) hours;

2. The camera must be in high definition and suitable to detect, monitor, recognize, and identify persons.

The features herein specified shall be incorporated in the operator's FLEET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. A separate Circular shall be issued by the Board for the requirements for this system.

IV.

EXCEPTIONS

Any exception to the specifications stated in the OFG, the PNS, as adopted, and this MC shall be granted expressly and in writing by the LTFRB through a formal unanimous resolution.

V.

REPEALING CLAUSE

All other issuances inconsistent herewith are deemed modified or superseded accordingly.

V. n

PENALTIES

Modifications/alterations of specifications upon inspection after the issuance of the Certificate of Compliance shall cause the revocation of the manufacturer and distributor Certificate of Compliance.

VI.

EFFECTIVITY

This Memorandum Circular shall take effect immediately following its publication in at least one (1) newspaper of general circulation. Let three (3) copies hereof be filed with the UP Law Center pursuant to Presidential Memorandum Circular No. 11, dated 09 October 1992.

SO ORDERED.

Quezon City, Philippines, February 2, 2021. ETHIDa

(SGD.) ATTY. MARTIN B. DELGRA IIIChairman

(SGD.) P/COL. JOEL C. PERNITO (Ret.)Board Member

Attested by:

(SGD.) ATTY. ARMAND B. DIOSOExecutive Director

n Note from the Publisher: Copied verbatim from the official document. Irregular numerical sequence.