UV Express operations to become P2P too
MANILA, Philippines — Flagging down UV express vehicles in transit on Metro Manila’s roads would no longer be allowed after traffic authorities start implementing an order by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to operate these vans strictly point-to-point (P2P).
Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2019-25, which amends MC 2009-19, abolishes the previous 2-kilometer radius policy, which allowed UV express vehicles to pick up and drop off passengers within that radius of their designated endpoints.
The new policy means passengers can only board and disembark at designated UV express terminals, not at any point in between.
The memorandum was signed on May 16. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has not set the date to start enforcing the new policy.
The MC was in line with transport regulators’ recent moves to decongest the metropolis’ roads by regulating public utility vehicles and their terminals and a plan to ban provincial buses on Edsa.
The board noted that most UV express services were not utilizing their designated terminals, leading to rampant roadside loading and unloading.
Article continues after this advertisementExpected problem
Article continues after this advertisementA frequent UV Express rider, medical student Eryka de Guzman, however, expects a harder daily commute from her dormitory in Fairview to SM North Edsa in Quezon City once the new policy is implemented.
To begin with, most commuters don’t know where the terminals to other destinations are located, she said.
“At the same time, people would start to crowd the terminals when we know for a fact that these are not even large enough to house commuters,” she said.
The UV express service was originally terminal-to-terminal under MC 2005-23. This was amended by MC 2009-19, which allowed the vans to pick up and unload passengers elsewhere.
MMDA traffic chief Bong Nebrija said his agency learned about the new memorandum only on Friday during a meeting with the LTFRB and the Department of Transportation.
He said traffic enforcers would be briefed on the new policy through a memorandum or a seminar but he didn’t know when they could start implementing it.
