With the current transportation situation amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or number coding scheme is still suspended indefinitely.
This was according to newly-appointed Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos Jr., who took his oath of office before Pres. Duterte in Malacañang on January 11, 2021.
“Considering there are still adjustments in the operations of public utility vehicles, the number coding scheme remains suspended until further notice,” he said.
Among the local governments in the metropolis, only Makati City implements the modified number coding scheme.
Under the modified coding scheme guidelines, the MMDA said private vehicles are exempted from the number coding scheme if they carry two or more passengers including the driver, as long as they can still practice social distancing and minimum health protocols such as wearing face masks and face shields.
In March last year, the MMDA indefinitely suspended the number coding scheme following the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila.
It can be recalled that MMDA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Celine Pialago said the modes of transportation remain limited in the metropolis, the reason why the agency decided to lift the number coding scheme.
The UVVRP or number coding scheme is being implemented by the MMDA to diminish the number of vehicles plying major thoroughfares.