MANILA, Philippines – The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Monday said it will further intensify the implementation of existing loading and unloading policies for provincial buses along the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (Edsa) starting April 22.
MMDA general manager Jojo Garcia said provincial buses are not allowed to load and unload passengers along Edsa and must head straight to their terminals.
“Starting next week after Holy Week, strictly implement and reinforce [‘yung no loading and unloading along Edsa] for provincial buses,” Garcia said in a press briefing at the MMDA headquarters in Makati City.
Garcia said that the move seeks to ease traffic congestion along the busy highway.
Violators will be fined P500.
No loading, unloading in front of terminals
MMDA Edsa traffic chief Bong Nebrija said that they have also put up signs in the entrances of terminals reminding motorists not to load and unload passengers in front of terminals.
Motorists are advised to drop passengers at the back entrances of the terminals.
“In the entrances of the terminals along Edsa, we have put up signs na ‘no waiting, no loading, no unloading of passengers’. That applies to all public utility vehicles or private vehicles,” Nebrija told reporters after the press briefing.
Nebrija earlier bared plans to put up barricades along Edsa to prevent the illegal loading and unloading of provincial bus passengers.
Nebrija added that there a number of provincial bus drivers continue to defy loading and unloading policies.
READ: MMDA eyeing barricades vs illegal loading, unloading of passengers