Over 300 buses granted special permits for holidays

MANILA, Philippines - More than 300 provincial buses were granted special permits in anticipation of a surge of passengers during the holidays.

Chairman Winston Ginez said the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has approved 301 out of 372 applicants for special bus permits after a thorough scrutiny of their requirements.

An additional 655 units with special permits will be allowed to operate during the Christmas holidays, with another 178  awaiting approval, he added.

A lot of passengers traveling to the  provinces for Christmas and New Year have converged at different bus terminals in Metro Manila.

The LTFRB has inspected bus terminals to ensure that travelers will have convenient, affordable, reliable, efficient, safe and secure transportation.

Ginez said they have formed a team to inspect and monitor public utility provincial buses with terminals in Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City; Pasay City; and Sampaloc, Manila.

The team will be responsible for inspecting bus terminals from Dec. 21 to 24 and Dec. 28 to 29 when a lot of passengers are expected to travel to their hometowns, he added.

The ocular checks are part of regular routine inspection of provincial bus terminals and fleet to ensure that the units are roadworthy before   plying their authorized routes, especially during the holidays, Ginez said.

New traffic scheme at NAIA

At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), a new vehicular traffic scheme is being implemented on the road to Terminal 3 for the holidays.

General manager Jose Angel Honrado of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said the new traffic scheme around Circulo del Mundo will help facilitate better traffic flow for passengers going to the airport.

The innermost lane of Circulo del Mundo has been made into a priority lane for airport-bound passengers.

Motorists on Andrews Avenue coming from Sales Road may take it on the way to the airport.

Shorter LRT hours

Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines 1 and 2 will have shorter operating hours for the holidays.

LRT line 1 will start its operations at the usual time of 5 a.m. on Dec. 24, but will have its last trip at an earlier time, according to the holiday schedule posted on the Facebook page of the LRT Authority DOTC (Department of Transportation and Communications).

The last northbound train (Baclaran station to Roosevelt) will leave at 7:30 p.m., while the last southbound trip (Roosevelt station to Baclaran) will depart at 8 p.m.

LRT line 2 operations will begin as usual at 5 a.m. on Dec. 24, but the last trip will follow an adjusted schedule.

The last westbound train (Santolan station to Recto) will leave at 8 p.m., while the last eastbound trip (Recto station to Santolan) will depart at 8:30 p.m.

On Dec. 31, LRT line 1’s first train will leave at 5 a.m.

On the same day, LRT line 1’s last northbound train will leave at 6:30 p.m., while the last southbound train will depart at 7 p.m.

LRT line 2’s first trip will leave at 5 a.m. on Dec. 31.

For the last trip, the westbound train is scheduled to leave at 7 p.m., while the eastbound train will depart at 7:30 p.m. – With Louise Maureen Simeon, Louella Desiderio