Buses on Edsa —FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Thursday announced the opening of six new routes for Public Utility Buses (PUBs) in Metro Manila and in select outlying areas.
The LTFRB, through Memorandum Circular No. 2022-083, approved the opening of new routes:
Antipolo – McKinley Hill via C-5, FVR Road
Antipolo – McKinley Hill via C-6
McKinley Hill – Southwoods Mall Transport Terminal
Ayala – Southwoods Mall Transport Terminal
Alabang (SST) – Naic via Governor’s Drive
Cubao – Dasmariñas via Governor’s Drive
Under the memorandum’s guidelines, operators who have consolidated operationally and are using brand new or Omnibus Franchising Guidelines (OFG)-compliant units will be given preference in being allowed to use the new routes.
The memorandum adds, “if the selected qualified operators have no brand new/OFG compliant units, the applicant is given six months to operate non-compliant units, leased or owned, with a special permit during the interim period.”
“The decision to open new bus routes came after extensive monitoring and ground validation, and we saw the need to provide more public land transportation services because of increasing passenger demand,” said LTFRB Technical Division head Joel Bolano.
“We hope that these new bus routes will provide convenience to passengers commuting via these areas as we slowly traverse the new normal. We, therefore, appeal to our riding public for more patience as we are continually studying the viability of opening more routes, whether new or existing, with great consideration of current health protocols so that passengers can travel safely and easily,” added LTFRB chairman Teofilo Guadiz III.
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