Starting Thursday morning, Aug. 18, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will start apprehending violators of the expanded number coding scheme in the National Capital Region (NCR).
In a statement, the MMDA said both the ground apprehension and no-contact apprehension policy (NCAP) will take effect.
MMDA acting chairman Carlo Dimayuga III said the full implementation started on Monday, Aug. 15 but said they gave a three-day adjustment period wherein violators would be merely warned.
Based on the monitoring on the first day of the number coding scheme on Aug. 15, the number of vehicles travelling in Metro Manila significantly reduced, except along EDSA—and Dimayuga said they expect the volume to further reduce once they started apprehending the violators on Thursday.
At least 1,800 motorists were warned on Monday morning, Aug. 15. alone. On Tuesday morning, Aug. 16, almost 3,000 motorists were warned.
The Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., classified as morning rush hours, and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the afternoon during weekdays, except holidays.
Under the scheme, vehicles with license plates ending in 1 and 2 are prohibited on Monday, 3 and 4 on Tuesday, 5 and 6 on Wednesday, 7 and 8 on Thursday, 9 and 0 on Friday.
Public utility vehicles are exempted from the number coding scheme, as well as transport network vehicle services, motorcycles, garbage trucks, fuel trucks, marked government vehicles, fire trucks, ambulances, marked media vehicles, and motor vehicles carrying essential and/or perishable goods.
The re-implementation of the pre-pandemic number coding scheme was based on the meeting of Metro Manila mayors in anticipation of the resumption of face-to-face classes on Aug. 22. The full face-to-face classes, based on the statement of the Department of Education, is expected to start in November this year.
Dimayuga said they expect the volume of vehicles hitting Metro Manila roads to reduce by 20 percent during the morning and afternoon rush hours.
Based on the latest vehicle volume count conducted by the MMDA Traffic Engineering Center on August 4, approximately 387,000 vehicles traverse EDSA during weekdays.
The volume is expected to balloon to 436,000 or higher when the face-to-face classes resume.
Violators of the number coding scheme would be fined P300.