THE latest addition to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s (LTFRB) Pink4Project are 60 units of a taxi company owned and operated by a famous showbiz personality.
LTFRB announced on Wednesday that 60 units of LBR Transport Inc., which is owned and operated by TV host and son of Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto, Luis “Lucky” Manzano, will also be serving women, children, senior citizens and persons with disabilities during rush hours.
The LTFRB Pink4Project aims to give priority to these special groups to ease their convenience while commuting.
There will be a motorcade of the pink taxis on Wednesday afternoon from LTFRB’s central office to the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City and return to board’s office to officially launch the project.
The 60 LBR taxis will bear double-pink stripes on both sides of the units’ bodies and double-pink ribbons on their top lights. The drivers will also wear pink shirts with collar.
These taxis will give priority to these passengers in taxi bays at shopping malls and other public places, or when they hail the unit along roads and streets in the metropolis.
In a statement, Winston Ginez, LTFRB chairman, welcomed the newest public-utility vehicle (PUV) company to join the movement.
“We express our utmost gratitude to the LBR Transport Inc. for their participation in our project,” Ginez said in the vernacular.
“We are glad that more PUV operators are joining hands with us to ease the burden of finding a convenient commute for these special groups, which often had difficulty getting a ride home or to reach their destinations during rush hours,” Ginez said.
The LTFRB chief also expressed hope that more public-transport services to participate in the program for a good cause.
Earlier this week RRCG Bus Inc. joined the same project by fielding its first pink bus plying the Quiapo-Cainta route to pick up and provide transport only to these special groups from 4 to 10 a.m., and from 4 to 10 p.m.
Last month there were also 14 public-utility jeepneys plying the Pateros-Guadalupe route and 16 UV express vehicles plying the TriNoma-Tandang Sora route, which kicked off the Pink4Project by picking up and transporting only these group of passengers.