| The paper critically examines the Philippine government’s push for the electrification of public utility vehicles (PUVs) through the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) and its integration into the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP). From promoting Euro-4 compliant “modern" PUVs, the government is now increasingly shifting toward electric vehicles (EVs) as part of its broader efforts to “modernize” PUV transport - still in line with the goal of reducing the sector’s dependence on fossil fuels. With EVIDA’s implementation and the anticipated rollout of EV adoption into the PUVMP, jeepney operators and drivers (JODs) now face yet another significant transition - this time toward electric PUVs (ePUVs) or electric jeepneys (e-jeepneys).Through a review of EV transition policy documents and focus group discussions held with PISTON-affiliated JOD associations in Metro Manila, the authors foreground the lived realities and economic precarity of informal transport workers. Findings show that JODs are unable to fulfill the amortization obligations required for e-jeepney acquisition without incurring financial deficits that threaten household survival. Moreover, the government’s equity subsidies for acquisition of ePUVs are irregular and inadequate, while incentives for the PUV electrification do little to alleviate the economic burdens carried over to JODs in the EV transition. The paper also highlights that not only unconsolidated operators are at risk but also operators who have previously acquired Euro-4 compliant modern PUVs.The authors call for the immediate suspension and overhaul of the PUVMP; the establishment of safeguards for consolidated PUV operators; a relaxation of electrification requirements in favor of supporting rehabilitation and local manufacturing of PUVs and jeepneys; and the reinstatement of five-year franchises of operators. Without meaningful state accountability in the electrification of PUV transport, the EV transition may become yet another “green initiative” that deepens the injustices experienced by JODs under the PUV "modernization" program. |