The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has granted a total of 1,297 permits for passenger buses in anticipation of an influx of more passengers during the Holy Week exodus.

LTFRB chairperson Vigor D. Mendoza II said they are anticipating more passengers this year as motor vehicle owners may opt to commute on their way to their home provinces due to the sharp increases in the price of petroleum products in the past few weeks.

“The increase in the number of passengers at this time of the year is normal because this is an annual religious activity that is really important for the Filipino people,” said Mendoza.

“But we are also anticipating additional commuters this time because with the price of gasoline and diesel, some of our kababayan would find it more practical to commute than drive their own vehicles,” he added.

Mendoza said they opted to grant more permits to ensure adequate passenger buses as the agency expects an influx of commuters going to and from the provinces for the long holiday break.

He said LTFRB Regional Directors were tasked to step up the monitoring of the passengers on bus and public utility vehicle (PUV) terminals to ensure a real-time response if there is a need to deploy more buses.

In granting the special permit, he said bus companies and operators were clearly instructed to ensure the road worthiness of their units.

Mendoza said he also tasked all Regional Directors to initiate road worthiness inspection protocols in bus and other PUV terminals.

He said coordination with other government agencies like the local government units (LGUs) and law enforcement agencies should also be done to maximize the assistance and road safety rules implementation.

“Our goal is to ensure the safety of commuters and other road users by ensuring the road worthiness of buses and other PUVs, as well as the physical and mental readiness of the drivers,” he added.