In the absence of clear guidelines and amid concerns about inconveniencing passengers, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) moved the implementation of a partial, temporary ban on provincial buses plying Edsa from July 15 to Aug. 1.
The MMDA also announced a slight change in the hours northbound and southbound provincial buses would be prohibited from passing through the stretch of Edsa between Cubao and Pasay City.
The ban would now take effect from Monday to Friday, from 5 to 10 a.m. and between 7 and 10 p.m., instead of 4 to 9 p.m.
A dry run for the measure will be conducted either on July 23 or 24, MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia said.
The ban will be lifted in August or September, he added.
The MMDA proposed the ban to ease traffic on Edsa as major road projects in the northern part of Metro Manila start this month.
It hopes to reduce the number of buses on the busy thoroughfare by 2,000 units.
Garcia said the agency agreed to move the schedule after meeting with provincial bus operators, as well as passengers who had expressed concern that the ban would force them to make multiple trips to get to their destinations.
For the duration of the ban, all affected provincial buses will be allowed to use the MMDA-run Southwest Interim Provincial Terminal in Pasay City.
To compensate for a possible increase in their companies’ operational costs due to the ban, affected buses will be exempted from the number coding scheme, Garcia added.