PISTON SPEARHEADED THE strike of 500 drivers in Valenzuela on September 16 to protest the implementation of the “no contact apprehension program” of the local government which raised the fine on traffic violations from a minimum of ₱500 for the first violation to ₱1,000-₱3,000.

The drivers asserted that the said amount is way beyond what drivers, operators and motorists can manage to pay. They also criticized the local government for implementing the ordinance without even conducting a public hearing. They demanded to revert the fines to at least P500. Instead of addressing their demands, Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian threatened to arrest the drivers as he alleged that the strike is a “violation” of their franchises.

In Bacolod City, drivers stopped their trips for two hours last September 11 to protest the implementation of the 45 to 60-day experimental rerouting of public utility jeepneys. They complained that their incomes were significantly cut due to this.
Meanwhile, PISTON, Stop and Go and the Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations invited drivers to participate in a nationwide transport strike on September 30 to oppose the impending implementation of the jeepney phase-out program under the pretext of “jeepney modernization.”