MMDA to apprehend city buses with no tags

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will start apprehending on Monday the drivers of city buses that violate the  vehicle-tagging scheme.

MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino said first-time violators would be fined P500.  Second time offenders face the cancellation or suspension of the bus firm’s franchise.

The MMDA started enforcing the scheme last week but violators were only given warnings.

“But this time we will be very strict in the enforcement of this resolution. Any city bus caught violating the scheme shall be meted [out] appropriate sanctions,” Tolentino said.

The Metro Manila Council—the MMDA’s policy-making body—approved the scheme in February, a reimplementation of a previous resolution authorizing the agency to implement vehicle tagging on all registered and franchised public utility vehicles (PUVs) plying major and secondary roads in Metro Manila.

By October, the MMDA intends to expand the tagging program to include other PUVs such as provincial buses, AUVs, school shuttle service, taxis and cargo trucks.

The vehicle tagging scheme aims to track down “colorum” and out-of-line PUVs and improve MMDA’s traffic monitoring and surveillance operations.

It is also expected to facilitate easy tracking and identification of traffic violators because the license plates of the PUVs will be painted prominently on the roof of the vehicles, making it easy for the MMDA’s closed circuit television cameras to identify them. Tina G. Santos