‘2 million commuters to swarm public transport after ECQ’

MANILA, Philippines — Over two million commuters will swarm public transportation facilities in Metro Manila once the enhanced community quarantine or ECQ is lifted, officials warned the public yesterday.

Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board chief Martin Delgra told the Senate committee on public services, chaired by Sen. Grace Poe, that out of the 11.5 million to 12 million population of Metro Manila, 30 percent or 3.5 million people are expected to use some form of transportation under a possible general community quarantine (GCQ) scenario.

Of the estimated 3.5 million, 70 percent or about over two million will be commuting while the rest will be using private cars and bikes, Delgra said.

“We’ve made computations on our public transportation capacity. It’s enough to respond to the expected demand… we could also adjust to increasing demand,” he said.

But the senators were skeptical, saying the restrictions, particularly social distancing and reduction in capacity, might leave hundreds or even millions stranded in the streets.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said land-based public transportation would operate only at 50 percent capacity.

With no fare hikes and limited capacity, Recto said public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers are not expected to operate at a loss.

Sen. Francis Tolentino lamented that the Metro Rail Transit-3 and Light Rail Transit systems would  be operating at only 14 percent capacity or 51 passengers allowed per coach per trip on the average.

Transportation Assistant Secretary Mark Richmond de Leon said the government is looking at subsidizing daily 30 percent of the fuel costs of passenger buses and jeepneys in the next few months.

Poe said safety protocols should be strictly enforced to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 once PUVs resume operations.

She reiterated the need for the government support for PUV drivers and operators with the reduced passengers per trip to compensate for the decrease in their take-home pay.

“We will explore the possibility of a progressive resumption of public transportation in the coming weeks,” Poe said. “The challenge is to restore mobility and livelihood of the drivers without compromising safety amid the pandemic.”

Single EDSA bus route

Commuters using the bus route along EDSA should be prepared for the “new normal,” the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said yesterday.

The MMDA said it is ready to implement the planned single bus route scheme on EDSA when the ECQ is downgraded to GCQ, according to EDSA traffic chief Bong Nebrija.

Nebrija said the government’s plan was to reduce the number of buses plying EDSA from 2,500-strong fleet before the pandemic to 600 post-quarantine.

From 61 bus routes before, Nebrija said there would only be one bus route northbound and southbound from Monumento in Caloocan to Pasay’s Mall of Asia.