DOTr: 'Intermodal' system seen to rid Metro Manila of 8,600 buses

Metro Manila roads will have 8,600 less buses by 2018 once the government completes its intermodal bus terminal system, transport officials told senators on Thursday.

During a Senate inquiry, the Department of Transportation said the government is eyeing to finish by 2018 the construction of two intermodal bus terminals in south and southwest Metro Manila, where buses from the provinces will be allowed to drop off passengers.

These buses would no longer be allowed to go beyond the terminals, the transport officials said.

By "late 2019 to 2020," a third intermodal bus terminal would be constructed for provincial buses coming from the north, they said.

"Pagbaba ng pasahero galing probinsya, may ibang bus na city lang ang takbo, mayroon din pong LRT at may smaller vehicles [na puwede nila lipatan]," said DOTr undersecretary for roads and infrastructure Anne Lontoc.

According to the Metro Manila Development Authority, once the proposed terminals are completed, some 8,640 provincial buses would no longer be allowed to enter Metro Manila, drastically cutting down the volume of vehicles plying its roads.

With provincial buses barred from using its main roads, Metro Manila thoroughfares would then be used entirely by the remaining 4,800 city buses and private vehicles, according to the MMDA.

The MMDA and the DOTr both said that currently, 14,384 buses ply EDSA.

Sen. Leila de Lima, meanwhile, appealed to the DOTr to ensure that enough public vehicles would be available to accomodate the passengers going to and from the intermodal terminals.

"What is the real impact if we really implement ang plano na iyan? Baka kailangan na natin more taxi, jeep, MRT, LRT just to transport these passengers coming from the provinces to their repsective destinations in Metro Manila," the neophyte lawmaker said.

The Senate inquiry seeks to determine the possibility of giving President Rodrigo Duterte emergency powers for the next two years to the country's perennial traffic problems, especially in Metro Manila.

For his part, Sen. Manny Pacquiao said aside from buses, jeepneys should also be barred from plying EDSA.

"May buses, madami. May jeepney, may motorcycle. Ewan ko kung pasahero or habal-habal. Para sa akin, jeepney siguro i-regulate natin na di na rin dapat dumadaan sa EDSA... para mabawasan ang trapik," he said.

Lontoc stressed that emergency powers for the president would give short-term solution to the traffic problem in Metro Manila while commuters await the construction of the intermodal terminals.

"Ang tinitignan na isa pang solusyon is the enforcement [of existing traffic laws] kaya sa emergency powers magkaroon sana ng single authoruty to manage traffic," she said. —KBK, GMA News