Buses given ‘till Friday to seek special permits for out-of-route Holy Week trips

MANILA, Philippines—Bus companies have until Friday to apply for special government permits for the Holy Week that would give operators the flexibility to serve areas outside the normal routes.

This will allow bus companies to focus on routes where demand is highest during the Holy Week break, when millions of Metro Manila residents are expected to troop to their respective home provinces.

Manuel Iway, a member of the three-man Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), said as of Thursday, only 124 special permits have been approved by the agency.

“Last year, there were over 640 buses that were given special permits,” he said in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer.  He said bus companies had only until Friday to apply for the special permits.

The special permit will be good from April 1 to 9. The permits will allow buses to operate outside their normal lines.

“The amount of passengers really surge during the Holy Week. Buffers are needed for some routes where the buses cannot serve the demand,” he said.

Iway warned that bus companies caught operating out of their normal routes without the necessary permits would face stiff penalties.

On the first offense, buses will be fined P2,000. On the second offense, bus operators will be fined P3,000, on top of the suspension of an erring bus’ franchise for 60 days. On the third offense, operators face the cancellation of their bus franchise, together with a P5,000 fine.

About 5,300 provincial buses have terminals on major thoroughfares like Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, making up majority of the 7,000 buses that ply routes in Metro Manila.