MRT 3 bus augmentation service dispatches first 4 a.m. trip Thursday

MANILA, Philippines — The bus augmentation project of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3) dispatches its first trip 4 a.m. trip today, July 9,  the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said.

According to DOTr, this is in response to requests for earlier trips, as the previous service started at 5:30 a.m.

MRT-3 operations remain suspended after 202 employees, including those assigned to ticket selling booths, tested positive for COVID-19.

“Following the directive of [DOTr] Secretary [Arthur] Tugade, we talked with the bus company, and we got its commitment to start bus dispatching at 4 in the morning,” Michael Capati, MRT 3 director for operations, said on Wednesday. “This is for the commuters, for the country.”

MRT 3 is one of the transport services in Metro Manila that have been given the green light to resume operations, as quarantine restrictions were eased.

However, the trains are only allowed to load 160 passengers each to COVID-19 infections.

The Department of Health has identified MRT 3 as one of the areas where there is a clustering of COVID-19 cases, or the increase of coronavirus infections within a confined area.

As of Wednesday evening, the country has 50,359 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 1,314 deaths and 12,588 recoveries.

There are also 488 areas with reported clustering of COVID-19 cases — 379 of which are communities, while 46 are health facilities, 24 jail centers, and 39 other areas.

/atm