DOTr eyes additional bus units after MRT-3 shutdown

FILLING THE GAP. With the operations of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 suspended until Saturday due to the growing number of train employees testing positive for the coronavirus, the Department of Transportation is deploying 90 buses that will pick up commuters at selected MRT 3 stations on Edsa. — GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is mulling to deploy more bus units for its Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT-3) bus augmentation program after the metro railway temporarily closed due to a surge of COVID-19 cases among its personnel.

“Sa pagka-suspende ng MRT-3, tinutugunan natin yan ngayon. We have 90 buses na nakatugon sa MRT-3. Kung kukulangin yan, dadagdagan natin yan. Basta ang sinabi namin, ang tingin namin yung 90 units sapat na yan makaikot-ikot,” DOTr Assistant Secretary Alberto Suansing told reporters in an online Lido Forum on Wednesday when asked about DOTr’s plans to augment public transport following the MRT-3 shut down.

(On the suspension of MRT-3, we are already addressing it. We have 90 buses for augmentation of MRT-3. If this would not be enough, we will add more. What we talked about before was that the 90 units is already enough to augment the train.)

The MRT-3 temporarily suspended its operations on Tuesday, July 7, after more than 100 train personnel including ticket sellers were infected with the coronavirus disease. Earlier, DOTr said the COVID-19 cases in MRT-3 increased to 202.

Currently, DOTr said 90 buses are under its MRT-3 bus augmentation program with a three-minute dispatching interval.

Some 150 other bus units were also deployed for its Edsa Busway service to ferry commuters from Monumento to Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange.

EDV