Scrap prov’l bus ban

THE Metro Manila Develop­ment Authority (MMDA) MUST scrap its Provincial Bus Ban along EDSA.

MMDA seems to have mis­lead the Metro Manila Council into adopting its Resolution 19-002 imposing the ban and compelling the transfer of provincial buses terminals to Valenzuela City for northbound buses and Sta Rosa City in La­guna for southbound buses.

Even Department of Trans­portation Asst. Secretary for Commuters Affairs Elvira Me­dina has echoed the call of Pro­vincial Operators of the Philip­pines president Alex Yague for MMDA to junk its provincial buss ban on EDSA since it will not serve any sound pur­pose, particularly decongesting EDSA.

MMDA traffic czar Edison Nebrija, however, was lately quoted as saying the bus ban is more focused on commuters’ safety rather than decongest­ing EDSA. This is categorically and pure nonsense. How can the ban ensure commuters’ safety.

Albay Reps. Joey Sarte Sal­ceda and Edcel Lagman whose constituents and other fellow Bicolanos will be severely bur­dened by the ban, has branded it as “senseless, anti-poor and ‘anti-probinsyano.’

Indeed the ban will not solve EDSA’s traffic congestion. Re­cords show there are 2.8 mil­lion vehicles in Metro Manila while there are only 4,000 provincial buses – 2,500 from the north and 1,500 from the south – most of spend their time travelling to their distant destinations. They generally pick up their passengers at their terminals and don’t tarry along EDSA to pick up and drop passengers.

Imposing the ban will compel provincial commuters to spend more for additional fares aside from other inconveniences and extra time. Sta. Rosa, Laguna is 39 kilometers away from Manila. Valenzuela is nearer but the consequencies to com­muters will be similar.

As Salceda noted in a previ­ous statement on the issue, “worldwide, public transport has priority over private ve­hicles. Pure common sense. Even in New York or in Tokyo, the ‘provincial bus stations’ are in the heart of the city because public transport has priority over private vehicles.”

The MMDA provincial bus ban is simply unconscionable considering that its victims are poor probinsiyanos who take buses, even ordinary ones. since they could not afford expensive air travel. Since they usually travel with luggages, they will most likely be assigned alley seat in city buses.

Why indeed pick on our ‘pobreng probinsyanos’ for MMDA’s incomprehensible ex­perimentations? Expect protest and troubles when the ban go0es full blast.