The Department of Transportation has issued a new set of guidelines on the use of the EDSA busway amid the increasing number of violations.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the dedicated lane is for public utility buses (PUB) in a bid to move as many commuters as possible.
In his letter to Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Romando Artes, Bautista said the authorized vehicles that can freely use the EDSA busway are LTFRB-authorized buses for the said route, on-duty ambulances, fire trucks, and Philippine National Police vehicles.
Service vehicles performing their duties for the EDSA busway project,including construction, security, janitorial, and maintenance services within the EDSA busway, can also use the lane.
Bautista reiterated that among elected officials, only the President,Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House, and the Supreme Court Chief Justice are free to use the EDSA busway.
Hefty penalties are also necessary to deter motorists from plying along the busway, Bautista said.
“Considering that the EDSA busway is operating under a limitedcapacity, the Department believes that imposing stiffer penalties would restrict its use to authorized buses and therefore enhancing its mobility and serviceability,” Bautista said in his letter to Artes.
The new fines and penalties will be P5,000 for the first offense while a second offense will result in a P10,000 fine. The license of the erring driver will also be suspended for one-month.
For the third offense, violators will be charged a P20,000 fine plus a one-year suspension of driver’s license, while a fourth offense will carry a P30,000 fine plus a recommendation to the Land Transportation Office for the revocation of the driver’s license.
The fines and penalties will apply to both public and private vehicles.
In a separate statement, Management Association of the Philippines Infrastructure Committee chairman Eduardo Yap said his group is supporting the restrictions imposed by the DOTr on the access and use of the EDSA busway.
“The Busway is a dedicated carriageway for buses to transport commuters that was introduced as a solution to the previous chaotic and inefficient bus service extant for many decades to the great detriment of commuters. Now that a solution has been introduced with demonstrated effectiveness, it must not be allowed to be compromised or degraded by lax or ‘pusong mamon’ enforcement,” Yap said.
“The restricted access and exclusivity of the busway, aside from its alignment on the innermost lane, are the two most important standards governing the operation of Busways and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. These standards are the very reasons the Busway and BRT system are the most cost-effective urban mass transit system in the world,” he added.
