LTFRB vows to immediately pay operators of buses plying Edsa Carousel

Newly-appointed chairperson of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Atty. Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil, and some of her colleagues take the EDSA Busway on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, as part of her inspection. Photo from LTFRB

MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Monday vowed to expedite the payment of operators of buses plying the Edsa Carousel bus operators.

LTFRB Chairperson Atty. Cheloy Garafil stated this after she met with Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and two bus consortiums operating in the Edsa Bus Carousel.

“Sa amin naman sa LTFRB, patuloy namin na pabibilisan ang pagbabayad sa ating mga operators sa Edsa Carousel program,” said Garafil in a statement.

(For LTFRB, we will continue expediting payments to our operators in the EDSA Carousel program.)

She noted that when she first began her position as the LTFRB chair, bus operators had not yet even received the payment for the sixth week of the program when it was already on its 13th week.

“Agaran kong pina-fast track ang pagbabayad kung kaya ngayon, makaraan ng dalawang linggo, kami ay nagbabayad na hanggang week 10. Nangako kami na lalo pa naming paiigtingin ang pagpoproseso ng kanilang bayad upang maging updated ang bayarin sa pagtatapos ng buwan ng Hulyo,” she said.

(I immediately fast-tracked the payment, so now, after two weeks, we are paying until week 10. We promised to intensify their payment processing further so that the bill would be updated by the end of July.)

Meanwhile, Garafil said the bus operators she met with Bautista have committed to deploying the maximum number of units, especially during rush hours.

“Nangako din si Sec. Bautista na pag-aaralan niya ang pagkakaroon ng terminal sa Monumento, Caloocan City upang magkaroon ng staging area at pahingahan ang ating mga bus at driver sa busway,” said Garafil.

(Sec. Bautista had also promised to study the creation of a terminal in Monumento, Caloocan City, to have a staging area and resting place for our buses and drivers on the busway.)

“Ito ay makakatulong upang may sapat na bus at agaran nitong matugunan ang anumang pagdami ng tao sa mga istasyon,” she added.

(This will help to have enough buses and immediately meet any overcrowding at the stations.)

In addition, Garafil said that officials are now working on adding amenities to bus stations to make them more comfortable for passengers during the rainy season, price adjustments due to rising fuel prices, and other concerns regarding the use of the busway.

This came after Garafil previously vowed to solve problems hounding the Edsa bus carousel, especially as the resumption of classes looms in.

The free Edsa Carousel ride was initially only offered until the end of this month. But it has been extended by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. until December, together with train transit lines.

This is despite Bautista noting that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) will first have to secure P1.4 billion in additional funding for the free rides to continue until the end of the year.

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