MANILA, Philippines — The terminal for provincial buses in Cubao, Quezon City will not be shut down even as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is set to close all provincial bus terminals on EDSA by next month, an official said yesterday.
“The common terminal in Cubao will be retained,” said MMDA’s EDSA traffic discipline zone head Edison Nebrija in an interview aired over radio station dzBB.
The use of the Cubao terminal would benefit luggage-laden commuters, especially those coming from provinces in Bicol, Visayas and Mindanao, he said.
The MMDA would also propose to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to replace the franchise of some provincial buses and convert them into point-to-point (P2P) buses, Nebrija also said.
These buses could be used by passengers who wish to be dropped off at the Cubao terminal and even the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange.
He said the MMDA’s priority is to shut down provincial bus terminals along EDSA in June.
Nebrija also appealed to owners of provincial buses to participate in the ongoing dry run of the use of the provincial bus terminals the MMDA assigned in Valenzuela City and in Sta. Rosa, Laguna to see if the move is effective.
Party-list group Ako Bicol filed a petition before the Supreme Court last week to stop the MMDA from implementing the provincial bus ban on EDSA.