MMDA to resolve commuters’ bus scheme woes

Buses arrive at the newly opened South-West Integrated Bus Terminal after inauguration Tuesday dawn at Uniwide Reclamation Area, Coastal Mall, Paranaque City. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino vowed to find solutions Wednesday to the woes of commuters affected by the recent integrated bus terminal scheme in Manila.

The MMDA Chairman said in an interview with Radyo Inquirer 990 AM that his office would immediately attend to the passengers’ complaints ranging from the scarcity of bus units, uncovered waiting areas and footbridges and the lack of signages in the Southwest Interim Transport Terminal (SITT) at the Uniwide reclamation area in Parañaque, which became operational Tuesday.

Tolentino said he would order the MMDA to ensure that all footbridges connected from the city bus terminals would be covered, install proper signs, construct a senior citizens’ lounge and children’s playground to make commuters’ travel enjoyable.

SITT, one of three designated provincial terminals under the Bus Management and Dispatch System (BMDS), will be the main terminal for Public Utility Buses (PUBs) bound for Batangas and Cavite.

The BMDS, which took effect January 31, seeks to decongest traffic along Edsa by reducing if not eliminating the number of colorum buses plying Metro Manila’s major highway. It keeps track of the drivers’ dispatch schedule, personal information and behavior while driving.

Since it opened, the terminal has been criticized by commuters because of the delays and inconveniences to them, with the driver’s group Piston branding the scheme as “anti-poor.”

“Our apologies. I hope we can help one another. Every change can be an inconvenience but rest assured this is for everyone’s benefit,” Tolentino said in Filipino.

The 1.4 hectare provincial bus terminal along Roxas Boulevard in Paranaque could accommodate 955 bus units and 326 Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs).

Meanwhile, the militant group Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytors Nationwide (Piston) branded the policy as “elitist and anti-poor.”

“The MMDA itself claimed that every day, 80 percent of private vehicles occupy the major roads in the metro while the Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs) only consist of 20 percent. So why do the government and MMDA oppress the PUVs serving the commuters including the workers, the poor, the students, and government employees?),” Piston President George San Mateo said in statement.

San Mateo said that the commuters would definitely complain because of the added financial burden. The scheme, he said, left the passengers no choice but to take multiple rides.

“To resolve this problem, the government should implement the legitimate Agrarian Reform and Industrializations… These will encourage many citizens from the provinces to move back to their towns. Thus, decongesting cities in Metro Manila.” he added.