MMDA asked to allow provincial buses on EDSA during non-peak hours

House Deputy Speaker LRay Villafuerte on Tuesday asked the Metropolitan Manila Development  Authority to allow provincial buses to enter EDSA during non-peak hours.

“Why don’t we allow or partially ban provincial buses and only allow them to enter [during] non-peak hours, 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.,” Villafuerte said during the Senate public services hearing on the provincial bus ban on EDSA.

“The bus in Naga leaves at 8 p.m., it arrives 4 in the morning so it is not rush hour. If we allow the provincial buses to come in [on] non-peak hours, then we partially solve the problem,” he added.

Villafuerte, a district representative of Camarines Sur, said those who thought of the provincial bus ban should have rode the bus and brought their children and old people to have a feel of what they are trying to implement.

“I ride a bus. Before you have thought of this idea, you should have been in a bus [with] children or old people. My stand is this ban is anti-poor and kawawa ang [taumbayan] lalung-lalo sa mga taga-probinsya,” he said.

He said the traffic on EDSA is a complex problem that cannot be solved by a simple provincial bus ban.

Villafuerte added that while the MMDA is prohibiting provincial buses on EDSA, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board allowed 14,000 new black painted premium taxis to ferry the more than 50,000 passengers daily in stop-off points in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and Valenzuela.

He added there will also be 2,000 new point-to-point (P2P) buses that are allowed to ply EDSA.

“What’s the difference, why P2P buses at stop off points to enter EDSA. What is the differentiation between P2P bus and a provincial bus? There is no substantial distinction between them,” he said.

AKO BICOL party-list Representative Alfredo Garbin Jr. agreed with Villafuerte, saying buses from Bicol arrive in Manila before dawn and stopping them in Sta. Rosa, Laguna would only inconvenience the commuters.

“Umaalis ng Bicol ng gabi, 6 a.m. lahat ng pasahero nakababa na. If you  stop them in Sta. Rosa, Laguna at 4 a.m. and  transfer them to another P2P bus, it will arrive in EDSA during rush hour. It will entail more expense, prolong travel time,” he said.

He added the provincial buses want to arrive in Manila before dawn to avoid traffic.

“What we see in the picture is the absence of provincial buses. Dumadating sila nang maagang-maaga kasi umiiwas sila sa traffic. There is no direct correlation that the provincial buses are causing the traffic [on] EDSA,” he said.

MMDA general manager Jojo Garcia, on the other hand, said provincial buses are allowed to enter EDSA from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Meanwhile, LTFRB chairman Martin Delgra said there are no new units that will enter EDSA as they will be utilizing the old units of P2P.

“There are additional P2P routes but not additional buses, there are no additional units,” he said during the hearing. — RSJ, GMA News