Ban on Provincial Buses on EDSA to Start on August 15

Following the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority's (MMDA) dry run on banning provincial buses from using the northbound and southbound lanes of Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) from Pasay City to Cubao in Quezon City--which will run until August 14--the agency has announced that it will officially enforce the program starting on August 15.

Originally, the MMDA was supposed to implement the ban on August 1 and only in the morning and afternoon to evening rush hours. However, the updated program that will start on August 15 will now ban the provincial buses from EDSA for the entire day from Monday to Friday.

"Ang permanent solution natin diyan kapag naipatayo na ang mga permanent terminals outside Metro Manila talagang totally banned na ang provincial buses sa Metro Manila. Kasi iyan naman talaga ang design niyan ang talagang papasok diyan ang mga city buses. (The permanent solution once these terminals are in place outside Metro Manila, provincial buses are now banned in Metro Manila. It is really designed that city buses are those only to be allowed to traverse along the major roads)," said MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia in a press briefing last Friday, July 27.

Garcia added that his office is scheduled to talk with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) today, July 30, to discuss the routes of provincial buses coming from the north and south.

"There are some lines that we need to modify for the convenience of the passengers," the MMDA chief added.

According to Garcia, the move to ban provincial buses from EDSA is is in line with the intermodal transport system being proposed by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

Under this system, provincial buses will no longer be allowed to traverse the major roads in Metro Manila. Instead, terminals will be installed outside the metropolis where passengers can take other modes of public transportation to get inside the metro such as city buses, jeepneys, and taxis, among others.

Currently, there are three bus terminals that are scheduled to be operational within the year: the bus terminal in Valenzuela is set to be operational in August; the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) in September; and the bus terminal in Sta. Rosa, Laguna by December.

With the scheduled opening of the Valenzuela terminal in August, the MMDA is planning to ban select provincial bus routes on EDSA from Balintawak to Magallanes.

"The route of select provincial buses coming from the north has to end at the Valenzuela terminal. However, nothing is final yet. We have yet to identify and recommend the routes," Garcia noted.

As for the provincial buses coming from the south that do not have terminals in Pasay City, they are to use the agency-operated Southwest Interim Provincial Terminal (SWIPT) located along HK Sun Plaza on Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard.