Makati rides for MRT crowd hit LTFRB snag

Makati City’s free shuttle service for MRT passengers bound for the city’s central business district is encountering a speed bump known as government red tape.

The Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on April 2 sent a letter to Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr., asking the local government to secure a special permit to operate the service.

City Hall started deploying two city-owned buses and four coasters on March 27 to move passengers for free from MRT’s North Avenue station in Quezon City to the Makati Stock Exchange Building on Ayala Avenue, from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on weekdays.

The move sought to address the congestion and glitches plaguing the train system on Edsa, which Binay described as having reached an “emergency situation” and affecting the productivity of many employees of Makati-based companies.

At present, Makati’s six vehicles can carry a total of 250 passengers per trip. Plans are afoot to add four more buses.

But now comes a notice from LTFRB officer in charge and board member Ronaldo F. Corpus, saying: “Please be informed that a special permit must be applied for by the City of Makati if it desires to offer this service to the public on an extended period of time and not only on a temporary basis.”

Once all requirements are met, the LTFRB will issue a special permit good for three months, the letter said.

In a statement Friday, Binay questioned whether the LTFRB’s special permits apply to government vehicles, noting that “we do not have a franchise or a line.”

He appealed to the board not to stop the free shuttle service “while we study the requirements they are asking from us.”

City administrator Eleno Mendoza said the Makati government was of the opinion that it can provide free shuttle services to employees working in the city under the Local Government Code and the Public Service Act.

“We feel that Makati should not be treated like a private operator,” Mendoza said.