LTFRB is now requiring the use of StaySafe app in public transport vehicles!

If you plan on riding any public utility vehicle (PUV) during this ongoing pandemic, you are now required to install the StaySafe app on your device.

Using the StaySafe app when commuting is now required (Photo from LTFRB Facebook page)

Contact-tracing app will soon become mandatory for all operators, drivers, and passengers

To boost the country’s contact tracing program amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) made a call to the general public to use and patronize the StaySafe.Ph application for digital contact tracing.

According to LTFRB's memo, all PUV operators have been ordered to "immediately shift from the previous manual filling-up of contact tracing forms to the use of StaySafe.ph app". Allegedly, this memorandum is in line with the mandate released in December 2020 by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

The IATF resolution states that it is compulsory for public transportation units to secure a Safety Seal. This seal includes the use of the StaySafe app since it's the government's main contract tracing tool. This is primarily used for preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Aside from contract tracing, StaySafe.ph features health condition reporting and has a social distancing system. You only need to register your mobile number. After the registration, you can now report your health conditions, including your family members. 

If you're an app user, you will be notified about confirmed, probable, and suspected COVID-19 cases. This will allow users to avoid places with a high risk of COVID. 

The memo said that PUV operators must comply with this regulation within 30 days. All operators must register on StaySafe.ph app and generate their own QR code. They should also post the QR Code at the entrance door inside their vehicles so passengers can easily view and scan it. Moreover, they must require all passengers to scan the QR code when entering or exiting the vehicle.

It also states that if they fail to observe the directive, they are violating IATF health protocols. There will be corresponding punishment for this offense.

Also, the said agency advised the drivers, operators, and passengers to strictly obey the minimum health standards plus the seven commandments for public transportation while inside the vehicle.

For inquiries regarding this mandate, you can call LTFRB 24/7 hotline 1342 o or email them with this address: pacd@ltfrb.gov.ph. 

Source: LTFRB