The government is fielding more bus units for its non-stop vehicle service project that is meant to ease traffic along Edsa (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue).
“There will be additional buses as the program enter its next phase. The DOTC [Department of the Transportation and Communications] is now accepting applications,” said lawyer Emerson Carlos, chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority.
Carlos said the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board already granted an extension of the special permit for the temporary Premium Point-to-Point (P2P) Bus Service until the end of January in view of the popularity of the service.
He said the next phase of the project was the subject of discussion during a meeting of members of the Technical Working Group held Thursday at the MMDA’s central office in Makati City.
The project was initially carried out from Dec. 6, 2015 to Jan. 6, 2016 to decongest Edsa during the holiday travel rush.
The government is pleased with the positive result of the P2P bus service program, given the increase in ridership over the holidays.
The premium P2P bus service is a new public utility vehicle sub-category created by the DOTC that offers commuters another safe and reliable mode of transportation. It allows shorter travel time, as buses depart on a fixed schedule and travel directly from the terminal to the drop-off point.
Carlos said the government came up with the scheme also to encourage private motorists to use the express buses as their alternative mode of transportation.
Fares for the express buses recently reduced to allow more passengers to avail themselves of the service.
Passengers from SM North Edsa in Quezon City to Glorietta in Makati City only pays P64 instead of P80 while those from Trinoma to Park Square, Ayala Center pays P60 instead of P80.
The government asked motorists to try using the non-stop bus service, saying the scheme is one of the medium-term solutions to improve traffic on Edsa and a way of increasing efficiency of the use of the streets.
Carlos said with the 120,000 new private vehicles in Metro Manila last year, it would be necessary to improve the travel time of commuters.
The express buses are picking up passengers from Trinoma, SM North Edsa in Quezon City and SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City and bringing them to Park Square Ayala Center, Glorietta 5 and Park Square Terminal all in Makati. The fares range from P40 to P60.
The buses can load or unload passengers along Ayala Avenue once inside the Makati City Central Business District.
The operation of the express buses starts around 6 a.m. with trips every 30 minutes. The last trip will be around 10 p.m. on both directions.
To ensure the unhampered daily operations, the LTFRB issued the 20 express buses, which also exempted from the number coding, with special permits for the duration of their trips.
The buses will be dispatched on time from its terminal whether the units are filled to seating capacity or not. The tickets will only be sold depending on the seating capacity of the buses.