89 PUVs to Temporarily Act as 'Substitute' for Currently-Suspended LRT-2

Now that most of the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) is currently--uh--indisposed, the government has issued special permits to 89 public utility vehicles to temporarily transport passengers along the LRT-2's route.

These buses will start their operation on Tuesday, October 8. The government plans to deploy buses at the Masinag, Emerald, and Santolan stations to go all the way to Legarda Station in Sampaloc, Manila. Meanwhile, they plan to add in 24 modern PUVs to help commuters who are taking the Santolan to Cubao route.

Meanwhile, 10 buses will take the Santolan station to Legarda Station route, while around 50 PUVs will ply the Santolan Station to Cubao Station from 6:00 am to 10:30 pm.

The bus fare from the Santolan to Cubao Station will be priced at PHP 15, while the Masinag, Emerald, Santolan to Legarda Station will cost PHP 25.

The Metropolitan Development Authority (MMDA) and the Philipppine Coast Guard also plans to give these "Libreng Sakay" buses for commuters who are taking the Santolan to Cubao (and vice versa) route.

These are the transport companies that were granted special permits by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Sunday: Airfreight Express Bus (one unit), Armi Josh Bus (five units), Corimba Bus (six units), Quiapo Bus (four units), Earth Star Express Inc. (five units), Tolfetano Corp. (10 modern jeepneys), Victory Liner (30 units) and RRCG Transport (28 units).

Ongoing Construction

Most of LRT-2 is still currently suspended, although partial operations of the rail line is expected early this week. However, some stations like Santolan, Katipunan, and Anonas will require longer repairs due to the extensive damage to the transformer substation. What's more, they will have to procure the replacement parts from overseas.

Normal operations will resume once the signaling, telecommunications, and power supply systems and trains are back to normal.

"We cannot compromise the safety of everyone so we need to thoroughly check the integrity and stability of LRT-2 structures and equipment before we resume operations," explained LRTA Administrator Reynaldo Berroya.

Meanwhile, LRT Authority (LRTA) management asked the public for understanding.

"We did our best but due to the complexity of the problem, we were not able to complete the test runs and safety checks of the telecommunications system today," Berroya said.