Provincial buses to gov't: Allow us to use Metro Manila terminals

Provincial bus operators are urging the government to allow them to use their terminals in Metro Manila to help accommodate the influx of commuters following the gradual reopening of the economy, and the holiday rush this Christmas season.

In his letter to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Nagkakaisang Samahan ng mga Nangangasiwa ng Panlalawigang Bus ng Pilipinas Executive Director Alex Yague said the approval of their appeal would lessen the burden of passengers coming from and going to provinces.

According to Yague, passengers from provinces are now required to disembark in terminal exchanges which are "too far away or inconvenient to their final destinations in Metro Manila."

"For instance, passengers coming from Central and Northern Luzon must get off at the Philippine Sports Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan or Valenzuela City Gateway Terminal. Those from Mindanao, the Visayas, and Southern Luzon are deposited at SM Sta. Rosa or the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX)," Yague said.

"In all cases passengers are left no choice but to take taxicabs or UVs, up to two or three times, to get to their final destinations in Metro Manila," he added.

Aside from the inconvenience and additional cost in fares, Yague argued that passengers are also at risk of contracting coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Yague added that provincial bus operators were also gravely affected by the ongoing pandemic which left them with reduced or even zero income when lockdowns were imposed in most parts of the country.

The group, which consists of 70 percent of all provincial bus franchises nationwide, said the return of terminals and its operations in their respective private terminals in Metro Manila would help them provide fast and efficient service to the riding public, as well as continued employment of more than 50,000 transport workers.

"The only way out of the difficulties is for the government to return to the pre-pandemic status, whereby buses were allowed to move freely from the provinces to their terminals in Metro Manila and vice versa," Yague said.

"To this end, we in the land transportation industry are ready to work with the government to ensure the health, safety and effective mobility of the commuting public," he added.