89 more PUVs to ferry LRT 2 riders

MANILA, Philippines — Additional buses and jeepneys have been authorized to pick up commuters affected by the nine-month shutdown of three Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 2 stations between Santolan in Marikina City and Quezon City’s Cubao district.

As of Sunday, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) had issued special permits to 79 buses and 10 passenger jeeps.

Most of the buses were from Victory Liner (30) and RRCG Transport (28). The rest were from Corimba (6), Armi Josh (5), Earth Star Express (5), Quiapo Bus (4) and Airfreight Express (1). The 10 “modernized” jeepneys were from Tolfetano Corp.

6-month validity

LTFRB chair Martin Delgra III said the special permits for the additional PUVs would be valid for six months, unless canceled sooner should the LRT 2 resume full operations.

Special permits are usually issued during the holiday season to allow PUVs to ply areas outside of their approved routes in anticipation of the influx of riders.

Earlier, the Light Rail Transit Authority announced that the Anonas, Katipunan and Santolan stations would be shut down for a maximum of nine months after two of the rectifiers (transformers) powering the mainline exploded and caught fire on Oct. 3.

The LRTA said that limited operations between Cubao and Recto stations could resume this week.

The LRT 2 services around 240,000 commuters daily through its 11 stations in Manila, San Juan, Quezon City and Marikina.