MMDA Moves Southwest Terminal to New Location

After reclaiming much of Baclaran’s roads from illegal vendors, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority now sets its sights on transferring provincial buses from the current Coastal terminal in Parañaque City to the new Southwest Interim Provincial Terminal (SWIPT) located at the HK Sun Plaza along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City.

In a press statement, the MMDA announced that they will start the gradual transfer of buses today, May 5. A soft opening for the new terminal is also in the schedule.

MMDA chairman Tim Orbos said they will begin deploying 300 provincial buses to the new SWIPT site. He added that his agency will coordinate with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to ensure the validity of the franchises of the transferred buses. The previous endpoints for the transferred buses are Baclaran, Mall of Asia, Mandaluyong and Cubao.

A vast improvement

Orbos says that the SWIPT site is a vast improvement from what both commuters and bus operators are used to at Coastal Mall.

“The SWIPT at HK Sun Plaza is definitely better than the current one at the Coastal Mall as there will be no terminal fee to be charged to both provincial and city buses and ventilation and space are more adequate,” Orbos said.

According to Orbos, the MMDA pays a P1.5 million monthly rent for its use of the Coastal Mall as a bus terminal and hub, as the location is a private property. He said that by moving the terminal to HK Sun Plaza, the government stands to earn significant savings, since it no longer needs to pay any rental fees. Bus operators also stand to benefit from the move, as the new location does not levy any terminal fees to both provincial and city buses.

Coastal Mall to SWIPT and Vice Versa

As for those who want to transfer from HK Sun Plaza to the provincial buses remaining in Coastal Mall and vice versa, MMDA has a space reserved for multicabs, jeepneys, and UV Express vans plying both routes.

Orbos adds that they plan to completely abandon the Coastal Mall terminal eventually, but it will remain open until all provincial bus companies have been moved to the SWIPT site.

New location for displaced vendors

Along with the bus terminals displaced vendors from the clearing operations conducted by the MMDA will also be relocated to the SWIPT site. Once fully operational, Orbos believes that the vendors can earn as much as they did before. Orbos also unveiled the Parañaque City government’s intention to build a new market in the next two years, and said some of the vendors may transfer there as well.