THE NEW GENERATION JEEPNEY

Ang makabagong Jeepney at Tricycle sa Modernization program ng gobyerno

Solar powered Jeepneys and Tricycles inline with the LTFRB PUV modernization program, from Star8. These fully electric vehicles all include solar panels on top, which help to extend the range and generally be more environmentally friendly. With a range of 120KM (75 miles), they've got more than enough energy in them to keep even the busiest public utility vehicle going for the day. Unlike some other large electric vehicles, the star8 vehicles include an onboard smart charger and don't require any special charging station. That means the vehicle can be charged from a regular wall socket at the home of the driver. The solar panels on top of the vehicles will extend the range but in most circumstances, a regularly used vehicle will still need to be charged from the grid. The cost of recharging from the wall is estimated at around 80 PHP (1.50 USD, 1.20 GBP) which is much cheaper than buying diesel or unleaded gasoline. Being all electric, you also avoid the expensive oil changes that are required fairly often on a vehicle that spends so much time on the road. Another part of the public utility vehicle modernization program from LTFRB is to provide the drivers with a set wage instead of them earning per passenger. This should improve the ride quality since the driver doesn't need to battle or feel threatened by other people "stealing" his passengers. He's guaranteed a set wage regardless of how many people he carries. According to someone who attended a Star8 Solar Jeepney seminar in April 2017, you need to pay P150,000 for the franchise and transportation cooperative group. For the first 5 years, the unit maintnecen and parts have to be done through Star8. After those 5 years, the vehicle is yours and you have no more tie-in with Star8.