Two more bus terminals on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue were ordered closed on Wednesday for continuing to defy a policy being enforced by the government aimed at easing traffic along the 23.8-kilometer highway.
The terminals along Edsa southbound near Tramo Street in Pasay City were being occupied by four provincial bus firms—Bragais Liner, Pamar Bus Co., St. Jude Bus Lines, and San Rafael Transit.
Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Danilo Lim and officials of the Pasay City Business Permit and Licensing Office served the cease-and-desist orders against the operators of the two bus terminals, which they said were non-compliant to the agency’s “Nose-In, Nose-Out” policy and other ordinances being enforced by the local government unit.
Lim said the MMDA also noticed the terminals had no facilities for the convenience of the passengers.
Bragais was the same bus firm involved in a notable road accident three years ago. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board had ordered the suspension for 30 days of 19 units of the bus company after one of its buses figured in an accident in Camarines Sur, which left five persons dead and 15 injured on Holy Wednesday in 2014.
Seven months ago, the MMDA inspected and found nine out of 16 provincial bus stations in Pasay City violating the “Nose-In Nose-Out” policy despite warnings given late last year. Most of the bus companies lacked the maneuvering space at their own terminals, a clear violation of the policy.
The MMDA initially offered the bus companies the South-West Interim Provincial Bus Terminal in Paranaque City being operated by the agency, but the firms refused.
The “Nose-In Nose-Out” policy means that buses must go into and out of the terminal front-end first, instead of backing up or maneuvering on EDSA and causing bottlenecks. The measure should force bus drivers to maneuver or make a turnaround within the terminal itself.
“It also requires buses to get in and out of the terminals in one simple maneuver, and they are not allowed to load and unload outside their respective terminals,” said MMDA general manager Thomas Orbos.
The closure order against the terminals in Pasay City also brings to five the total number of bus terminals shut down for violating rules and regulations aimed at easing traffic in the metropolis, especially on EDSA.
Last month, the MMDA shut down only three of the ten bus terminals on EDSA in Quezon City despite those terminals already found violating the policy since October last year.
Ordered closed in Quezon City were bus terminals of Dimple Star, Roro Bus Liner and DLTB Co. The MMDA and the LTFRB declared these terminals as public nuisances in the area.
MMDA officials explained the agency “needs final inspection concerning the other seven. We have due process to follow even though they are not compliant.”
Under MMDA Resolution 16-06, Series of 2016, the agency reiterated the “Nose-In, Nose Out” policy of provincial buses entering and exiting the terminals located along EDSA, stressing that there should be no queuing of buses along the major thorough at any time.
The resolution also notes that violators will be issued a Uniform Ordinance Violation Receipt for obstruction and disregarding traffic sign with corresponding penalty or fine. It also prohibits private and public utility vehicles from unloading or loading passengers and cargo in front of the provincial bus terminals that would ultimately cause traffic snarls in the area.
To remedy this, the MMDA suggested, bus operators and owners should designate unloading or loading bays within their terminals or streets outside EDSA.
“They should also employ more porters and bus conductors, and improve their ticketing system to facilitate customer transactions within the terminals as not to hamper the flow of traffic along EDSA,” Orbos said.