Mayors opt for uniform, not single, ticket system

The Metro Manila Council will soon implement uniform ticketing in the metropolis as part of an effort to address the concerns of transport groups, an official of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said yesterday.

DILG Undersecretary for Public Safety and Order Marius Corpus said Metro Manila mayors and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) have been discussing issues on uniform ticketing instead of single ticketing for transport sector.

Under Executive Order 712, President Arroyo directed the MMDA to implement a single ticketing system throughout Metro Manila. Several mayors opposed the system, saying that the MMDA does not have the authority to penalize traffic violators.

The mayors said they will honor the traffic tickets or ordinance violation receipts (OVRs) of other cities. They vowed to harmonize their ticketing and penalty systems for traffic violators to address the concern of transport groups.

Corpus and DILG Undersecretary for Local Government Austere Panadero said the MMDA and the MMC – whose members are Metro mayors – have started working on the policy for the uniform ticketing system.

The initial agreement between the mayors and the MMDA is that the agency will only be in charge of the traffic management on EDSA while the local government units will handle the alternate routes.

Corpus and Panadero said the DILG was no longer part of the discussion since the matter will be handled by the MMDA and MMC.

Transport groups decided to call off a transport strike recently after President Arroyo issued Executive Order 712, granting drivers’ demand for the implementation of a unified ticketing system for violations of traffic rules in Metro Manila.

Hundreds of thousands of commuters were stranded by the strike that was spearheaded by major associations of drivers and operators of commuter buses, jeepneys and taxi cabs to protest the separate ticketing system for traffic violations implemented by the MMDA and local government units.

The transport groups were also protesting the continued increase in prices of petroleum products.