MMDA bus scheme begins next week

The full implementation of the Organized Bus Route (OBR) program will begin next week, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced yesterday.

MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando said the OBR scheme, which will control the number of buses allowed to use EDSA at specific times of the day, was unanimously approved by bus operators and other concerned sectors during a dialogue last Tuesday.

"We believe that all will benefit from the scheme," he said.

Fernando met with leaders of bus operator associations in Metro Manila and explained that with the controlled and unified dispatch of buses from terminals to loading stations, companies are assured of almost doubling their earnings.

He said they can expect dramatic increases in the loading factor from the current 55 percent to 85 percent.

According to him, bus operators were satisfied with the explanation of the OBR rudiments.

Another meeting with operations personnel of bus firms has been set for Saturday at the MMDA building, where mechanics of the system will be threshed out.

Under the OBR, terminals will be set up at destination end-points with sequential dispatch of buses to be based on demand and on a "first in, first out" basis.

Tamper-proof and color-coded dispatch numbers will be assigned to each unit for an orderly dispatch from terminals and control stations along EDSA, where buses from various routes converge.

Fernando expressed confidence that the OBR will work, but stressed this cannot happen overnight.

The real results are expected to be seen after a few months of implementation with the help of drivers, MMDA enforcers and c