More than 300,000 commuters have availed of the “Libreng Sakay” (free ride) program on the first day of its resumption at the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (Edsa) Busway Carousel and other participating routes nationwide.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said the program logged a ridership of 307,396 on Monday.

“Sinimulan muli ang programa sa ikatlong pagkakataon upang maging isa sa mga solusyon para matulungan ang mga operator at driver na naapektuhan ang kabuhayan dahil sa Covid-19 pandemic at patuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng gasoline (We have restarted the program for the third time to serve as a solution to help operators and drivers whose livelihoods have been affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the continued rise in fuel prices),” the LTFRB said.

Participating operators and drivers, it said, would receive payouts from the government through the program.

“Malaking tulong ang dagdag na kita sa mga kalahok sa programa, gayundin ang pamasaheng matitipid ng mga commuter, upang matustusan ang kanilang pang-araw-araw na pangangailangan (The added income for those participating in the program and the fare saved by commuters will greatly help them provide for their daily needs),” the LTFRB said.

With a budget of PHP7 billion, the service contracting program will run from March to December this year or “until all funds are exhausted.”

The program is estimated to benefit 553 operators of public utility vehicles (PUV), 24,408 drivers, and 93,096,900 commuters.

Aside from payouts based on their per-kilometer service, participating PUV operators will each receive a one-time incentive of PHP5,000 to cover pre-operating costs. (PNA)