Bus firms oppose ‘coding’

Passenger bus operators have asked the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to hold the implementation of the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) for buses on Monday, saying this will create a "transport crisis."

Eleonor Santos, president of the North East Manila Bus Operators Group, said many passengers would be stranded on the road once buses are banned one day a week under the UVVRP, now known as the "number-coding" scheme.

"We can’t understand why the MMDA included us in the coding system when buses can transport a big number of passengers compared to private cars. Without us, there would be a transport crisis, especially on EDSA," she warned.

Buses have been exempted from the coding program since the previous MMDA administration.

Last Thursday, MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando announced that the coding scheme would include buses when it is reimplemented on Monday.

Fernando claimed that he decided to re-impose the scheme on the buses after discovering that most of them are operating even with very few passengers on board. The huge volume of buses on the road also causes traffic congestion as they linger at bus stops waiting for passengers.

Santos, however, maintained that the number of buses is minimal compared to the private vehicles which "usually have one or two passengers on board most of the time."

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has estimated that for every 10 vehicles on the road, eight are privately owned.

"We’ll seek a dialog with Chairman Fernando. We’ll ask him to hold his plan for the sake of the commuting public," she added.

The group, however, is not about to seek a fare adjustment despite the MMDA plan.

Santos said they do not want to be accused of being vindictive although there is already a pressing need to raise fares because of the increasing costs of fuel and spare parts.

"We have committed to President Arroyo in the past that we would defer a fare hike as much as we can. We want to keep our promise, but we hope that the MMDA would also heed our appeal not to push through with the coding scheme," she added.

As a birthday gift to President Arroyo last April, various transport groups committed not to seek fare adjustment until the pump price reaches P15.50 per liter.

Santos said that at present, the price of fuel per liter is P15.40.

"We’ll try to settle this with the MMDA without filing a petition for a fare hike. If Chairman Fernando turns us down, we will turn to President Arroyo. We just hope that she will listen to us, the same way we listened to her when she asked us not to raise our fares," she added.