There’s a fairly heated discussion in the public transport sector about a proposal to re-allow provincial buses to enter Metro Manila. With the pandemic almost over, provincial commute has returned close to its pre-Covid situation, with much of the provincial routes resuming and a 100 percent passenger capacity now allowed. There is, however, one stark difference—there is now a need for the these buses to utilize the government mandated provincial terminals at both ends of Metro Manila, namely the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange for the South/Southwest corridor and the North Luzon Express Terminal for the North corridor.
On one side of the issue are the bus operators, now forced to abandon their individually operated terminals, mostly along the congested Edsa corridor, and at the other side are the government transport policy makers and regulators in Department of Transportation and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), who would rather maintain the newfound light traffic in Metro Manila. Both sides invoke commuter interest and welfare in their arguments. With the peak commuter season of what is now a more Covid-relaxed Holy Week just a few weeks away, this may turn into a bigger headache unless more levelheaded discussions come into play.
For one, it is not as simple anymore to bring in these buses to their old individual terminals in Metro Manila. The Edsa Bus Carousel, established during the pandemic, has proven to be effective in decreasing bus congestion and bus commuter time in Edsa. But with its location on the left most lane, as well as the bike lanes along the curbside (also started in this pandemic and which is expected to remain in the new normal), Edsa is now left, strictly speaking, with just three lanes for other vehicles. With this major overhaul, bringing back provincial buses to enter and exit their Edsa terminals would bring worse traffic than before. One more thing, affected local government units where these terminals are located have upgraded their standards of terminal conditions to the point that none of the present terminals could be issued permits to operate.
However, there is truth in the argument by the bus operators of commuter inconvenience with the present system of using the outlying terminals as required by the government. This is borne by the shortage of commuter buses that would ferry them to and from the city. There had been stories of commuters stranded for hours before getting a ride to Metro Manila. However, such a problem can be resolved quickly by adding more commuter buses to ply these routes. Another good temporal measure has been offered by the new MMDA Chairman Romando Artes, who proposed a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. window where provincial buses will be allowed to go directly to their old terminals while a more long-term solution is being studied. This scheme, acceptable to both the bus operators and central terminal owners, will provide an immediate relief to many people especially during the Holy Week and summer.
One lesson learned from this is that a central city terminal may be considered to provide a more convenient and efficient services. This central terminal should not be in Edsa, yet should be strategically located to allow commuters access to other transport corridors, especially rail. A good location would be the Monumento area where the Light Rail Transit lines 1 and Metro Rail Transit, plus the Philippine National Railways line, converge. Another would be the Pandacan area where there is access to LRT line 1, PNR rail as well as the Skyway network. Such a central terminal/s can also accommodate direct trips to and from the nearby provinces of Bulacan and Cavite, without having to pass by the North Luzon expressway and Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange.
On the whole, the outlying provincial bus terminals will be beneficial to all parties once every part of the ecosystem will be in place. For operators, it would result in business efficiencies. For commuters, convenience without added cost. For us Metro Manilans, less traffic and its residual cleaner environment. The advantages are worth the wait regardless of the present inconvenience we have to go through.
The author may be reached via thomas_orbos@sloan.mit.edu