'Trial lang muna': LTFRB rolls out 42 more bus units along EDSA Busway
MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board have deployed close to an additional 50 buses along the EDSA Busway Carousel to augment the vehicles plying said route — but only on a limited basis for the next few days.
Board Resolution 191 noted that it has been "consistently observed" that current deployment of bus units is below the required number, around 80% of the authorized units, thereby affecting the availability of service particularly during peak hours.
"The provision of these ‘rescue’ units have been discussed with the two bus consortiums already," said LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III on Tuesday.
"Rescue buses were being utilized when there is an established increase in passenger demand and the number of deployed units is insufficient to render efficient service."
The trial/simulation of the 42 "rescue" Omnibus Franchising Guidelines (OFG)-compliant bus units started last Monday, and is slated to end come 6 a.m. of January 16, 2023.
Said vehicles came from bus companies that are not members of the two big consortiums that operate the EDSA Carousel.
After a week, the LTFRB will again sit down with the aforementioned consortiums together with the bus operators providing the 42 units to discuss how to finalize, modify or even enhance the new scheme.
The rescue units will operate for 12 hours (6 p.m. to 6 a.m.) after the 20-hour run by the regular buses, which is from 4 a.m. to 12 midnight.
Operators of both units are hereby directed to supply important data such as units deployed and ridership for evaluation, and must comply with the fare matrix approved by the Board to ensure uniform fare collection.
Horribly long queues plagued the EDSA Carousel route in the past days and weeks even until the late hours of the night, with tired, sweaty passengers eagerly waiting for their turn to get home.
The said problem continued well after the government discontinued it's free "24/7 rides" along one of the country's busiest roads at the start of 2023.
Guadiz earlier stated last January 6 that free EDSA bus rides may resume come February, this after Congress approved P1.4 billion for the Libreng Sakay program. — James Relativo
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