THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has pushed to August 1 the ban on provincial buses on certain hours along Edsa, saying it is still fine-tuning the regulation ahead of its implementation.
MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia said the schedule of the regulation has also been changed: both northbound and southbound provincial buses are banned from traversing along Edsa from Pasay City until Cubao in Quezon City, from 7 to 10 a.m. and from 6 to 9 p.m., or the usual rush hours on weekdays.
“The changes were agreed [on] during an emergency meeting with provincial bus operators and other stakeholders recently,” said Garcia in a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon.
The MMDA earlier announced the ban would start on July 15, with the schedule of prohibition set at 5 to 10 a.m., and 4 to 9 p.m.
As part of its information drive, a dry run for the enforcement of the regulation will also be conducted on July 24, a day after President Duterte’s third State of the Nation Address (Sona).
Garcia also clarified that only those provincial buses traversing Edsa are exempted from the United Vehicular Volume Reduction Program or number-coding scheme as an incentive.
“Provincial buses plying C-5 Road, the streets of Manila and elsewhere are not covered by the number-coding exemption,” said Garcia.
Provincial buses coming from the South that do not have terminals in Pasay City are advised to use the agency-operated Southwest Interim Provincial Terminal (SWIPT).
Garcia said traffic experts predict a faster turnaround of provincial buses once the regulation is enforced during the morning and evening rush hours.
“We expect that the regulation would speed up travel of private motorists and passenger buses using the yellow lane along Edsa during peak hours,” said Garcia.
The MMDA official said they are also coordinating with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board on the reduction of passengers’ fare.
Garcia said the regulation will be effective until the three bus terminals deemed crucial to reducing traffic are operational.
These are: the bus terminal in Valenzuela set to be operational in August; Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange set to open on September; and the bus terminal in Santa Rosa, Laguna, expected to open in December.
The regulation was approved by the Metro Manila Council (MMC) to ease traffic congestion in the metropolis caused by simultaneous road projects in the second half of 2018.