MANILA, Philippines - The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has allowed provincial buses to pass through three tunnels along EDSA to address the heavy flow of traffic expected during the holidays, an official said yesterday.
MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said the agency has issued a memorandum circular allowing provincial buses to pass through the underpasses along EDSA at Shaw Boulevard, P. Tuazon and Aurora Boulevard from Oct. 28 to Jan. 4 next year.
He said the use of the tunnels by the buses would be subject to an “odd-even” scheme depending on the last digit of their license plates.
By allowing some provincial buses to use the underpasses, EDSA’s service roads will be decongested, the MMDA said.
Tolentino added that unlike city buses, provincial buses only load and unload passengers at designated terminals and have no need to stop along EDSA in betweem terminals.
Tolentino said provincial buses with license plates ending in 1,3,5,7 and 9 would be allowed to use the three tunnels every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Meanwhile, provincial buses with license plates ending in 2,4,6,8, and 0 shall use be allowed to pass through the tunnels every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The MMDA said provincial buses using the three tunnels would strictly stay on the rightmost lane (the lane nearest the tunnel wall). Both city and provincial buses are not allowed to pass through EDSA’s tunnels on Sundays. Drivers of provincial buses who will violate the new scheme will be fined P500.
According to MMDA records, there are about 3,300 provincial buses and 12,000 city buses passing through EDSA each day.