TRANSPORT group Piston has asked the Supreme Court to continue hearing its petition against the mandatory jeepney consolidation policy, arguing that the case remains an active controversy despite the issuance of a new Department of Transportation (DOTr) order.
In a nine-page compliance and manifestation filed on June 29, 2026, Piston maintained that DOTr Department Order 2023-022, which lays down guidelines for the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP), did not render the case moot and academic.
The group said the new order merely superseded earlier issuances while retaining and institutionalizing the mandatory consolidation requirement that petitioners challenged before the court.
"Far from extinguishing the controversy, the Order deepens and institutionalizes the assailed consolidation requirement," Piston said in its pleading.
The case stemmed from a December 2023 petition filed by Piston Chairman Modesto Floranda and other transport groups seeking to nullify various DOTr and LTFRB issuances related to the jeepney modernization program.
The petitioners challenged the constitutionality of forced franchise consolidation, which they said violates drivers' and operators' freedom of association, as well as their rights to livelihood, due process, and equal protection.
Piston argued that small operators and drivers remain compelled to join cooperatives or corporations if they wish to continue operating public utility vehicles.
According to Piston data cited in the filing, up to 300,000 jeepney units were operating prior to 2017, but that number has dwindled to about 130,000 due to the modernization program, representing significant loss of economic productivity for drivers and operators.
The group also invoked exceptions to the mootness doctrine, arguing that the issue is "capable of repetition yet evading review." It noted that the government has repeatedly modified, reopened, or extended consolidation deadlines through various department orders, board resolutions, and memorandum circulars — preventing the core legal issue from being fully litigated before new policies take effect.
Piston further argued that the case involves matters of paramount public interest, as jeepneys remain the country's dominant public transport mode. According to the filing, as of October 2023, there were 150,867 public utility jeepneys providing services in the Philippines, accounting for 79 percent of total registered land transportation services.
The group noted that in Metro Manila alone, almost nine million passengers use jeepneys daily.
The DOTr has claimed that the jeepney franchise consolidation rate stands at 85.42 percent as of November 2024. However, Piston pointed to DOTr data showing that 321 routes nationwide have zero consolidation rate, and only about 11,000 PUVs fit the policy's modernization standards perfectly.
The petitioners asked the Supreme Court to note their compliance and eventually declare the questioned DOTr and LTFRB issuances null and void. They also reiterated their prayer for injunctive relief.