Transport groups say provincial buses—kept out of Metro Manila’s main thoroughfare throughout the pandemic—should be allowed to drive through EDSA again.
“You really feel the struggles of commuting from Point A to Point B,” said Dom Hernadez of Pasada, a transport group seeking a place in Congress as a party-list group.
With the pandemic endgame approaching, Hernandez told a forum, it is time that provincial buses be allowed on EDSA again.
Public transport advocate Robert Siy, who was at the same forum, agreed.
“We need to prioritize higher-capacity vehicles and public transport in all our major roads,” he said.
Siy is a part of the Move As One Coalition, which describes itself as “a coalition of Filipino organizations and individuals advocating for a safer, more humane, and more inclusive public transportation system in the Philippines.”
“It’s really a matter of public service,” added Hernandez, who is designated as Pasada’s first nominee should it get enough votes to win a congressional seat.
Hernandez said he believes that the current ruling on provincial buses plying back and forth from Metro Manila amid the pandemic, in which only 10 percent are allowed to operate, is taking a financial toll on the provincial bus companies.
He said the bus companies could not even make a profit at 50 percent capacity due to the high fuel costs.
He said allowing more provincial buses on EDSA would reduce crowding in bus terminals.
Former senator Nikki Coseteng said the provincial bus companies’ struggles should be addressed urgently.
“I think the buses should be allowed to operate tomorrow,” Coseteng said.
She also lashed out at the strict sanctions on bus violators, recalling an instance somewhere along Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City recently where bus companies were fined as much as P1 million per bus for certain violations that could even lead to the drivers’ arrest.
