4.6K slots for PUBs opened for 31 ‘rationalized’ routes in NCR

FILE: Vehicles including motorcycles crowd the southbound lane of Epifanio Delos Santos Ave. (EDSA) in Quezon City on Monday morning (September 9, 2019). (PNA photo by Joey O. Razon)

MANILA – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Tuesday started accepting the application of public utility buses (PUBs) that would be authorized to ply 31 “rationalized” routes in the National Capital Region.

In a Facebook post, the LTFRB released the guidelines for the limited operation of PUBs once the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in Metro Manila is downgraded to general community quarantine (GCQ) by June 1.

In Memorandum Circular 2020-019, the LTFRB said at least 4,600 slots will be available for PUBs that will be authorized to ply 31 rationalized routes around Metro Manila.

It added that “550 of which are allotted for units that would traverse the Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (Edsa) to Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) route”.

Aside from the 550 PUBs that would ply the lone route in Edsa, 116 buses will be deployed in Monumento-Balagtas route; 97 PUBs in Monumento-PITX; 54 in Monumento-VGC; 173 in North Edsa-Fairview; 510 in Quezon Avenue-Angat; 416 in Quezon Avenue-Edsa Taft; 159 in Quezon Avenue-Montalban; 78 in Cubao-Montalban; 256 in Cubao-Antipolo; 73 in Cubao-Doroteo Jose; 78 in Gilmore-Taytay; 65 in Kalentong-Pasig; 22 in Buendia-BGC; 170 in Ayala-Alabang; 105 in Ayala-Biñan; 103 in Ayal-FTI Complex; 183 in Monumento-Edsa Taft; 76 in PITX-NAIA Loop; 86 in North Edsa-BGC; 46 in Monumento-Meycauayan; 105 in Monumento-SJDM; 181 in Monumento-Angat; 46 in PITX-Sucat; 70 in PITX-Alabang; 156 in BGC-Alabang; 127 in PITX-Naic; 135 in PITX-Trece Martires; 151 in PITX-Dasmariñas; 124 in PITX-General Mariano Alavarez; and 89 in PITX-Cavite City.

According to the memorandum, bus operators with a valid and existing certificate of public convenience (CPC) for PUBs, an application for extension of CPC, and those with expired provisional authority (PA) may apply for the new bus routes.

The LTFRB also said “area-based fleet-managed single operator who can provide all the required number of compliant units” will be given preference to operate one of the new routes, followed by area-based operators who have consolidated their buses to operate on a single route.

“Only one operationally consolidated group shall be allowed per route. No qualified area-based operator on a particular route shall be excluded in the consolidation,” the memorandum read.

It said PUBs must have valid passenger insurance, equipped with location tracking, “preferably” equipped with an automatic fare collection system for cashless transactions, and units must be no more than 15 years old.

For PUBs specifically applying for the Edsa Loop Service route, the LTFRB said the bus units must have “low floor, low entry,” two doors, and air-conditioning.

The PUBs are also required to install colored markings with their corresponding route code.

The fare of the non-airconditioned buses is PHP11 for the first five kilometers (km) and PHP1.85 for every succeeding km while air-conditioned buses at PHP13 for the first five km and PHP2.20 for every succeeding km.

The LTRFB also said bus drivers and conductors must require their passengers to fill up contact form.

It added that failure to get the contact information of the passengers would result to the suspension or cancellation of CPC or PA of the bus operator.