Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Beginning Monday (September 7), provincial buses bound for Southern Luzon will be banned on EDSA for four hours — from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Buses going to Lucena, Bicol, and other southern provinces coming from terminals in Cubao and Kamuning should take P. Tuazon, then C-5, and then proceed to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).
The scheme should help ease congestion on EDSA. However, some drivers were asking on Friday (September 4) for more time to become familiar with the route.
Related: HPG takes over EDSA traffic management on Sept. 7
Among them was provincial bus driver Arsenio Arthur Sacil, who would have to adjust his route during the morning trip to Albay.
“Ang mahirap diyan hindi pa namin kabisado yan eh. Siyempre hindi pa namin alam saan liliko,” Sacil said.
[Translation: “The thing is we’re still unfamiliar with the new routes, so we won’t know where to take a turn.”]
Authorities said they will again strictly enforce the exclusive use of two outer yellow lanes for public utility buses. The outer lane will be for picking up and dropping off of passengers, while the inner lane will be the fastlane for buses.
There will also be a new bus lane on C5.
GPS requirement
Part of the traffic plan is for provincial buses entering Metro Manila to install global positioning system (GPS) — from September 1, 2015 to January 31, 2016 — to avoid accidents, in line with a Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) memorandum.
City buses should install the device from January 1 to April 30 next year, while buses in other areas in the country should have the GPS installed between April 1 to July 31 in 2016.
Operators who tamper with the GPS device will be fined P5,000 for the first offense, P10,000 for the second offense, and P15,000 and suspension of the unit’s franchise for 30 days, for the third and subsequent offenses.
There will also be an additional fine of P1,000 per unit for every speed limit violation.
Some provincial bus companies have began installing GPS to their units.
Regulators said some bus companies were asking to defer the memorandum. But they explained that the deadline would be unchanged and buses should be equipped with GPS on the designated dates.
