The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) hopes to ease traffic on major Metro Manila roads when the first of three centralized provincial bus terminals begins operations in July.
MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino inspected the ongoing construction of the 1.4-hectare transport facility at the Uniwide Coastal Mall compound in Parañaque City and said 972 buses, mostly from Cavite, would be using the hub and therefore no longer use up space in inner city roads.
“They would only go up to here. They would no longer pass through Edsa or Taft Avenues; or go on to Cubao and Pasay [terminals]; no longer park on the side of the road near churches, hotels and fast food chains,” Tolentino told reporters.
The terminal, which is scheduled to open on July 15, will be the first of three under an Integrated Provincial Transport System (IPTS) to cater to more than 7,000 provincial buses serving Metro Manila.
The MMDA’s Coastal Mall station, also called the South-West IPTS terminal, will only be for buses plying the Cavite and Batangas routes, and which use the Coastal Road and the Manila-Cavite Expressway.
The South-East IPTS terminal, under the Department of Public Works and Highways, will be located at the Alabang South Station in Muntinlupa City. It will be for buses plying the South Luzon Expressway, mostly plying Bicol and some Batangas routes, Tolentino said.
The North IPTS terminal, under the Department of Transportation and Communications, will be near the Trinoma mall in Quezon City, to service provincial buses that use the North Luzon Expressway, such as those plying routes to and from Baguio, Pangasinan, Pampanga and Bulacan, said the MMDA chairman.
The two other IPTS terminals will start operations by year’s end, Tolentino said. Once the IPTS is up, bus companies would no longer be allowed to operate in other terminals in the Metro.
MMDA is investing P24 million for the Coastal Mall terminal, which will include the first biometric bus dispatch system for provincial buses, and LED signage announcing departure and arrival schedules, Tolentino said.
The terminal, which will also act as a connecting hub for provincial and city buses, will also host city buses and UV Express vans.
Tolentino admitted that the decrease in traffic flow might only be significantly felt once all three IPTS terminals began operating, and the MMDA’s biometric Bus Management and Dispatch System kicked in.
He expressed hope that the common terminals would translate to savings for bus companies and commuters.