31 Hyundai modern PUVs hit the streets of Baguio City

The City of Pines is about to get more modernized public-utility vehicles (PUV) on its roads.

Hariphil Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) announced in a November 2022 press statement that it turned over 31 Hyundai PUVs to the BAMAPCOM Entrepreneurs Multipurpose Cooperative in Baguio City.

The units will ply the Trancoville-Magsaysay Plaza-SM Baguio route and adds to the over 500 Hyundai PUVs that already operate nationwide.

“We are proud that our HD50S Modern PUV has met the power output demands of the area’s mountainous terrain,” said HARI president and CEO Maria Fe Perez-Agudo.

“This is proof that our engine is best in class,” she added. “And we thank our growing number of partners from government and local communities for trusting in the safety, comfort, and reliability of the Hyundai Modern PUV.”

The Hyundai HD50S is powered by a 2.9-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 turbodiesel producing 160 PS and 392 Nm of torque. This is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.

Although HARI didn’t release the specifications of the HD50S in Baguio City, the model is available with CCTV cameras, a speed limiter, GPS tracking, and optional Wi-Fi connectivity.

HARI handles all sales of Hyundai commercial vehicles in the country. 

On July 2022, Hyundai Motor Philippines took over the Korean brand’s passenger car operations from Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc., which Perez-Agudo headed.

All-electric PUVs on the horizon

Vehicles like the Hyundai HD50S are products of the government’s PUV Modernization Program.

This was kicked off on June 2017 by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to revamp the country’s public transport system by implementing policies to make commuting more efficient, reliable, and environmentally friendly.

The program includes updated vehicle standards for PUVs, particularly modernized jeepneys, to replace older fleets with designs that trace their roots to post-World War II Philippines.

Republic Act 11697, or the "Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act," added to the PUV Modernization Program by mandating the incorporation of electric vehicles into public transport fleets within a defined timeframe.

The measure, which lapsed into law on Apr. 15, 2022, also aims to make all PUVs fully electric.

Would you prefer to ride on a modernized Hyundai PUV in Baguio’s hilly terrain?