EDSA express buses roll out empty

MANILA, Philippines - The much publicized holiday bus service by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) rolled out along EDSA yesterday practically empty of passengers.

The express bus service is a joint project of the MMDA and the LTFRB to encourage private car owners to leave their vehicles at home to decongest EDSA during the Yuletide season. It began last Saturday and will end on Jan. 6, 2016.   

Commuters preferred to line up at the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and regular bus stations to take them to their destinations.

The reason? The fare of an express bus from its terminal in Quezon City to Makati City is P80, while a regular bus charges only P40 or more. For MRT riders, the fare is a little over P20.

At the Trinoma  (Triangle in North Manila) and North EDSA terminals, air-conditioned  buses, which are supposed to leave every 30 minutes, carried no passengers. On the other hand, buses from Makati had only two or three passengers embarking at the North EDSA and Trinoma terminals.

“The fare is expensive and you have to wait 30 minutes longer,” a commuter said.

The scheme is one of the medium-term solutions to improve traffic on Edsa especially with the Holiday rush, the MMDA said.

Their buses pick up passengers from Trinoma, SM North Edsa in Quezon City and SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City and bring them to Park Square Ayala Center, Glorietta 5 and Park Square Terminal all in Makati.

Fares range from P50 to P80. The buses can load or unload passengers along Ayala Avenue once in Makati City’s central business district, the MMDA said.

The operation of the buses starts at 6 a.m., with trips every 30 minutes. The last trip is at 10 p.m.

To ensure the unhampered daily operations, the LTFRB provided 20 express buses, which are exempted from the number coding. These will have special permits.

The buses, whether full or not, will be dispatched on time from the terminal and tickets will only be sold based on the bus’ seating capacity, the MMDA said.