The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has committed to reduce the number of public utility buses (PUBs) plying EDSA by more than 50 percent by the end of the year in order to ease traffic on the busy thoroughfare.
At the budget hearing of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) at the Senate yesterday, LTFRB chief Ma. Elena Bautista said that there are simply too many PUBs on EDSA.
This was her response to senators, who had expressed dismay over the worsening traffic situation in the metropolis.
The LTFRB chief pointed out that there are around 5,000 buses plying the EDSA route while the thoroughfare can only accommodate 1,000.
Out of the 5,000 units, 3,500 have legitimate franchises while the rest are operating illegally under what is commonly called "colorum" operations.
Bautista said the LTFRB is committed to attain the 1,000 target by the end of this year, but she did not elaborate on how to accomplish this.
She said that there is also a plan to reduce the number of bus routes from the current 24 to six.
In the case of the colorum operations, the LTFRB and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) practically conceded that they were helpless in stopping them.
Bautista noted that the operators of apprehended colorum buses would simply pay fines and have their units back on the road.
She noted revenues generated from operations can easily offset the fines paid.
The LTFRB is also limited to issuing administrative sanctions such as imposing a ban on a violator from acquiring a legitimate franchise.
Bautista said the LTFRB is now in the second phase of its bus rationalization program and that they have successfully reduced the number of PUBs by 50 percent since the implementation of the program.
Senator Sergio Osmeña III criticized the two line bureaus of the DOTC for failing to do anything about the problem which has been in place for over a decade.
He emphasized that there are easy solutions that merely require the political will to implement.
"The MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority) can’t enforce this alone. Especially if you give them (bus operators) piecemeal franchises," Osmeña said.
He noted that he has been advocating for the organization of PUBs along EDSA by coming up with a cooperative for the operators.
The idea is to teach the bus drivers to queue up on one lane after being dispatched by the cooperative.
The MMDA has attempted to implement something similar in its bus dispatch system, but this has failed to take off.
Bautista admitted that the LTFRB has not cancelled any of the franchises in spite of the numerous violations being committed by the operators.
Osmeña said the LTFRB and LTO should start cancelling franchises of the recidivist operators simply by taking them to task on all of their violations.
"Find another reason to cancel. I’m sure there are so many violations. I don’t accept that you guys don’t have the legal power to enforce that," he said.
The senator lamented that the traffic problems along EDSA caused by the bus operations have caused a serious dent on the image of the country in the international community.
LTFRB vows to reduce EDSA bus volume by half
Originally Posted by slakker
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