‘Go back to old ticketing system’

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will now have to revert to its former traffic ticketing system to heed the call of the public transport sector, Malacañang announced yesterday.

Secretary to the Cabinet Ricardo Saludo said the decision was reached after a meeting with transport groups even as the MMDA still awaits a final resolution of its petition on the new ticketing scheme before the Court of Appeals.

Lauding the decision of the Cabinet, Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board chief Elena Bautista said the decision will "hopefully head off transport disruption problems for the commuting public."

Transport groups have been up in arms against the Metropolitan Traffic Ticket scheme and its No-Contact Traffic Apprehension program, which make up the new version of the Traffic Violation Receipt system.

Under the old scheme, tickets are issued against erring motorists and their licenses confiscated.

The legality of the MTT was contested by nine transport associations before the Makati City Regional Trial Court, which issued a permanent injunction against the MMDA’s ticketing scheme.

The transport groups claimed the MTT is illegal since it does not have the approval of the Metro Mayors’ Council, the policy-making body of the MMDA.

Some jeepney operators and drivers association even refused to pay traffic fines as part of a boycott of the program.

Ruling in favor of the transport associations, the court issued a permanent injunction against the MTT and NCTAP and subsequently junked MMDA’s last-minute motion for reconsideration.

The MMDA elevated the case to the CA.

The MTT is a ticketing system, wherein traffic violators are issued a traffic ticket without having to surrender their driver’s license. Violators can settle their fines at any Metrobank branch nationwide.

The NCTAP, on the other hand, is a traffic apprehension scheme of the MMDA that allows its personnel to take pictures or videos of motorists violating traffic rules.