CONTRARY to the claims of some critics and commuters, the planned provincial bus ban is “not anti-poor” and the presumption that it is a “failure” is “premature,” Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Danilo Lim said on Monday.
“We [MMDA officials] know very well that those riding in buses [majority] are considered masses, and we want to make their travel faster going to their destination. How can that be anti-poor?” Lim pointed out in an interview with the BusinessMirror amid the flak drawn by the agency from commuters after its dry run last week. Very few transport operators joined the dry run, which was voluntary because of a temporary restraining order from the court.
Lim stressed that the provincial bus ban was never really implemented since there is a court order halting the implementation of the policy.
“We have not fully implemented it and we have not seen the result yet,” Lim said.
Lim reiterated that the agency is giving priority to the “masses” and lamented that the public is just getting the wrong impression.
Lim said that they are determined to implement the policy once the court order is lifted, as he shrugged off the bashing they got in social media.
Prior to the court order, provincial bus operators had pledged 100-percent participation in the dry run of the provincial bus ban supposedly set for August 7.
The Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 223 issued a writ of preliminary injunction halting the implementation of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Memorandum Circular 2019-001 and MMDA Regulation 19-002.
Under the dry run, provincial buses will be banned from traversing Edsa from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. No penalties will be imposed against violators of the ban.
Also, no actual closure of the existing provincial bus terminals along Edsa will happen.
Provincial buses coming from the north may use the Valenzuela Gateway Complex Terminal to load and unload their passengers. Provincial buses coming from the south may use the Santa Rosa Integrated Terminal in Laguna while those with terminals in Pasay City may use the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange.
The MMDA shall implement “window hours” from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. for affected provincial buses. During the window hour period, provincial buses are allowed to traverse Edsa to get to common terminals such as Araneta Center Bus Port in Cubao, Quezon City, and BFCT East Terminal in Marikina City and PITX.
Also, the number coding for city operating buses shall also be lifted.
An additional 20 percent of city-operating buses’ fleet will be allowed to operate to ensure there are enough city buses to pick up passengers at the interim terminals.