What is the LTFRB Looking For in a P2P Bus?

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) recently announced that it is opening 28 new Premium Point-to-Point (P2P) Bus Service routes for interested operators. All 28 routes are distributed through 16 franchise packages, with each package being awarded to one applicant.

To be a Premium P2P operator though, the LTFRB has a stringent set of requirements for the buses to be fielded on the 28 routes, and these are:

Bus Body Make

1. Single deck or double deck (11 to 13 meters in length);
2. With external color/branding as specified by the Board;
3. Euro IV or better emission standard or clean alternative fuel (e.g. electric, hybrid) with equivalent or better emissions;
4. Low floor entry (0.28 to 0.38 meters) with space for one passenger with wheelchair, plus foldable or retractable wheelchair, plus foldable or retractable wheelchair ramp at exit;
5. Provincial buses shall use coaches with at least 11 meters in length with provision for cargo compartments; and
6. Maximum of four reclining seats per row.

Operating Conditions

1. Service with scheduled trips and designated off-street stops for loading/unloading passengers;
2. No loading/unloading of passengers outside of designated off-street stops;
3. With onboard CCTV, four cameras, continuous recording of minimum past 72 hours of bus operations;
4. With vehicle tracking via onboard Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) devices compliant with the Board's specifications and driver console enabling two-way communication;
5. With free Wi-Fi for all passengers;
6. With onboard automated bus arrival electronic display and announcement system;
7. With Automatic Fare Collection System as one of the options for payment;
8. Speed limiter;
9. Drivers under salary, with no compensation linked to ridership, but with incentives for better customer service and reduction of accidents;
10. With advanced ticketing facility and seat booking via mobile phone and internet;

Beyond this list, the LTFRB expects the prospective P2P operator to have a sufficient layover area/garage to accomodate all units, with a space provision of at least 40 sqm per unit plus 30 percent of garage area for circulation. Furthermore, if the prospective P2P operator is already running a fleet of buses, the area for the P2P bus units should be over and above the existing garage/depot space of the current bus fleet.

Also, the maximum headway--the time between each dispatched vehicles on the same route--one year after start of operations is 10 minutes during peak hours and 30 minutes during off-peak hours. During interim operations, the maximum headway is 30 minutes during peak hours and one hour during off-peak hours, subject to actual passenger demand.