The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Tuesday, Oct. 25, announced that it will release special permits for out-of-line operation before Friday, Oct. 28, to augment the number of units catering to commuters during this year’s commemoration of ‘Undas.’
In a “Laging Handa” briefing, LTFRB Technical Division Chief Joel J. Bolano said they have received a total of 256 applications for special permits.
“ay 256 applications tayo na nag-compliment sa 615 units additional doon po sa regular bus routes natin. So malaking tulong daw po ito sa mga ruta na kalimitan na nag-tataas po ng ridership kapag ganitong mga okasyon (We have 256 applications that will compliment 615 units additional to our regular bus routes. So this will be a big help to routes with higher ridership during similar occasions),” he said.
“So ilalabas po ng Board ito bago po mag-Biyernes para po mag-start na po sila ng out of line operation nila by Friday (The Board will release this before Friday so that they could start their out of line operation by Friday).”
According to him, the LTFRB began accepting applications for special permit on Oct. 3.
Bolano said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and LTFRB will start their monitoring on Oct. 27, and begin establishing one-stop-shops which will serve as a help desk for travelers during “Undas.”
“So ang Oplan Undas po ng DOTr-LTFRB ay starting po ng Oct. 28 up to Nov. 3 (So the Oplan Undas of DOTr-LTFRB will begin on Oct. 28 and will end on Nov. 3),” he said.
He said the LTFRB already had an inter-agency meeting with other government agencies and local government units to ensure the health and safety of commuters, noting that one-stop-shop help desks will be established in locations with big terminals such as “Quezon City, Pasay, Manila, Buendia area, and Caloocan.”
Meanwhile, Bolano urged commuters to strictly follow health and safety protocols to ensure the safety of the general public.
“Ang payo lang po namin ay sundin pa rin ang health protocols sa pagbiyahe, at hanggat maari lang po ay less lamang po ang ating bagahe para mas magaan ang ating pagbiyahe ngayong Undas (Our advice to commuters is for them to still follow health protocols while traveling, and as much as possible to only bring as little baggage as possible for us to have a swift ride during the commemoration of Undas),” he said.