MMDA girds for new bus route system

All is set for the implementation of the Organized Bus Route program, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando said yesterday.

With no strong opposition from bus groups who will be affected by the project, Fernando said the agency would conduct a dry-run of the OBR scheme this week to test the readiness of their facilities and the public as well.

"We are almost done with planning and preparation. We will now set a date for its implementation," the MMDA chairman said in the agency’s weekly morning radio program on dzBB.

Fernando has also reiterated the benefits the OBR scheme would give to both involved transport groups and motorist plying through EDSA, where the program will be implemented.

The current loading factor of a bus operating in Metro Manila with a seating capacity of 60 passengers averages to only about 35 percent per trip. With the OBR, Fernando said they expect this to double – meaning a bus will be at least 70 percent full for a one-way trip.

"This will be a big help to our bus sector because now they can earn more with less trips. Nakikita naman natin ngayon na pahirapan sila sa pagkuha ng pasahero at malaking aksaya din yun sa paggamit ng crude oil," he explained.

The MMDA chairman also stressed that the new scheme would contribute to the improvement of traffic flow along EDSA. "Ito rin ang nakikita nating solusyon para maiwasan na ang sikisikan ng mga bus sa mga terminals at loading areas."

Fernando said they are set to meet this week with bus groups, who earlier expressed support for the project, to finalize the pre-implementation phase of the project.

Under the OBR scheme, terminals will be put up at designated end-points, where buses would be dispatched sequentially on a demand and "first come, first serve" basis.

The agency will assign tamper-proof, color-coded dispatch numbers to each unit so as to control stations along EDSA.

The MMDA chairman earlier expressed confidence that the OBR scheme would work for the benefits of all, but stressed that it would take a few months before the advantages could be felt.

Fernando has also appealed to bus drivers, operators and the commuting public to cooperate with his enforcers in implementing the program. This, he said, would pave the way for everyone’s convenience in EDSA.