This week, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) locked horns with the providers of school shuttle services over the age of their vehicles. The LTFRB has mandated that shuttles older than 15 years should be phased out in favor of newer, Euro 4 emissions compliant vehicles. Should such a ban on older vehicles be imposed for other types as well?
Right now, the Philippines does not impose an age limit to engines when it comes to registration. In fact, older vehicles are somewhat favored as the cost of registration goes down for older vehicles. Newer ones pay more and are required to fork out a bigger amount in the beginning by lumping together the first three years of payment.
The main reason for scrapping older vehicles is emissions. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) mandated the adoption of Euro 4 fuel standards beginning this year.
Euro 4 is significantly cleaner than the previous Euro 2 standard. Euro 4 fuel has one-tenth the sulfur content of Euro 2 fuels. Sulfur in pollutants can contribute to heart and lung diseases, and can increase the risk of cancer. Starting 2016, fuel and automobiles have to comply with the new standard.
Still, that leaves millions of vehicles sold before 2016 on the road and polluting like it was 1999. Even if we start the scrapping law now, it will still take 15 years to remove pre-Euro 4 cars from the roads.
Phase out
DENR Secretary Ramon Paje Jr. has recommended that vehicles older than 15 years be phased out to improve air quality, particularly in Metro Manila.
As an alternative, he suggested that older vehicles be banned from major roads that are usually clogged with traffic.
“Heavier traffic means more idling time for vehicles on the road. This leads to more emissions, and older vehicles have more toxic emissions,” he said.
That newer vehicles would be safer and cleaner is not being disputed, even by the school shuttle operators. Their contention is that the 15-year age limit is too low, as school shuttles may not be running the whole day and for long distances, unlike other utility vehicles.
The reverse would be true of trucks and buses. These run for many hours straight, and travel hundreds of kilometers on a single journey. For trucks and buses, the 15-year age limit would be applicable. The age limit would have to be counted from the original date of manufacture, and not when the vehicle was imported to the Philippines.
Used trucks and buses that have run for 10 or more years are routinely registered as new. Trucks and buses are designed to ferry heavy loads and passengers, and thus should be subject to more stringent regulations.
Not a day goes by without a report of a truck crashing due to failing brakes or suspension components. Even worse are buses that cause multiple deaths to passengers and pedestrians, sometimes due to component failure.
Motioncars and Inquirer Motoring columnist Botchi Santos has suggested a seven- or eight-year age limit on vehicles, particularly for taxi cabs.
Proving roadworthiness
He suggested that reducing the number of old vehicles on the road will help free up traffic and reduce crashes due to poor maintenance. Such a scrapping law would also stimulate new vehicle sales.
The rules in other countries vary. Singapore imposes a 10-year registration limit on a new vehicle, via its Certificate of Entitlement (COE) program. One cannot buy a vehicle without this.
The COE of a new vehicle expires after 10 years. It can be renewed, but at an enormous cost, so most owners would decide to buy a COE for a new vehicle instead.
The Netherlands requires a roadworthiness certificate for cars. It’s required annually for vehicles older than six years, and every two years for vehicles less than six years old. Germany has a similar inspection program.
Using roadworthiness as a criterion would actually make more sense than an age limit. But the LTO has proven incapable of implementing regulations based on emissions and roadworthiness, so an age limit would be easier to follow.
Vintage cars
What about that classic sports car in your garage? Vintage motor vehicles (defined as 40 years and older) can be restricted for use on certain days such as weekends and holidays. This was precisely the subject of an administrative order issued by the Land Transportation Office.
But as with everything in the Philippines, special interest groups started raising a fuss, and soon the order was put on the back burner.
The logical conclusion must be: Older cars, in the range of 15 years and up, should be scrapped. The alternative is to tax older vehicles prohibitively so that registering them will become less attractive, allowing owners to opt for newer vehicles instead. With a report by Dona Z. Pazzibugan
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