Provincial buses reminded of P500 fine for loading, unloading along Edsa

MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) reminded bus operators that starting Monday, provincial buses caught picking up and dropping off passengers along the stretch of Edsa will be fined P500.

MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago explained that the agency is reinforcing an existing regulation that allows provincial buses to load and unload passengers only in their respective terminals.

“We will reinforce our existing regulation prohibiting these provincial buses from picking up and dropping off passengers in Edsa,” Pialago said in an interview over ABS CBN News Channel.

“We will fine them 500 pesos,” she added.

Aside from the P500 fine, the MMDA also reminded that the dry run of provincial bus ban in Metro Manila starts also on Monday.

Pialago explained that while provincial buses are still allowed to enter Metro Manila, bus operators are required to have at least one bus unit to pass through the interim terminals located in Valenzuela and Sta. Rosa Laguna.

“We are now requiring bus operators to at least one of their units, just one, to pass through those interim terminals,” Pialago said.

“They are still allowed to enter Metro Manila until they complete the substantial requirement of our stakeholders but they have to obey their franchise,” she added.

The MMDA is targeting to completely ban the 45 provincial bus terminals along Edsa by May 15, while the 96 provincial bus terminals in the entire Metro Manila will be banned by June, Pialago said.

For now, she said the MMDA will only monitor the number of bus operators that will comply and participate in the dry run.

“The provincial buses coming from the north, they have to use the Valenzuela interim terminal,” the MMDA spokesperson explained.

“Passengers would have to go down, transfer to the city buses. Those city buses have certain loading and unloading areas in the stretch of Edsa and they also have terminals in Araneta Center Cubao and other point of destination,” Pialago added.

The MMDA official noted that provincial buses, while they only make up three to five percent of the total volume of vehicles along Edsa, are one of great contributors of traffic.

“They are one of the great contributors of traffic in terms of their terminals along major thoroughfares,” Pialago said.

“We’re just complying from the instruction of the President to remove all provincial terminals in Metro Manila and at the same time, we’ve conducted so many studies that can prove that they are really causing traffic even on holiday season,” she added.

“So kailangan po talaga, sa outskirts na lang sila ng Metro Manila,” Pialago further said. /je