MMDA cracks down on city and provincial public-utility buses
Following a consultative meeting yesterday between the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and its stakeholders on the strict implementation of bus lanes and the use of loading and unloading bays, the agency has set down the following rules and policies that are to be strictly followed by all bus operators and drivers.
1. All provincial and city buses are only allowed to use the designated bus lanes. Violators who fail to do so will be fined P200.
2. All provincial and city buses are not allowed to use any underpass or tunnel along EDSA.
3. All provincial buses are to use the third lane on EDSA or use the second lane if the third lane enters the tunnel.
4. All provincial buses are allowed to traverse flyovers, both north- and southbound.
5. All provincial buses are only allowed to load and unload at MMDA-authorized bus stops.
6. City buses will be dispatched sequentially on a "first in, first out" basis either at MMDA-Organized Bus Route terminals or at centralized dispatching areas.
7. City buses are only allowed to load and unload at designated bus stops for a maximum of 20 seconds.
8. City buses will be labeled as "A" and "B" to denote the respective bus stations they can stop at.
9. The only flyover city buses can use is the Ortigas flyover, but it is only limited to northbound buses.
10. There will absolutely be no loading or unloading at intersections with signal lights that are currently lit as green or go.
11. The doors of all provincial and city buses should be closed at all times except when they are at a designated bus stop or they will be fined P1,000.
Public-utility jeepneys, mega taxis, taxis without any passengers, and other public-utility vehicles sporting yellow license plates are also limited to using the second half of the bus lane. Taxis with passengers, however, are allowed to use the lanes designated to private vehicles.
Private vehicles, on the other hand, may only enter the bus lane when turning to the side road or when entering EDSA from the side road.
Do you think all these measures are enough to improve vehicle traffic along EDSA?
