No number coding for prov’l buses Dec. 22 & 26

The number coding scheme for provincial buses has been lifted today, Dec. 22, Friday and on Dec. 26, Tuesday, to ensure that there will be sufficient buses to ferry passengers to the provinces this Christmas season, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced.

Bong Nebrija, MMDA operations supervisor, said the agency has decided to suspend the Unified Vehicle Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) for provincial buses to accommodate the influx of passengers wanting to travel to their provinces early for the holidays. Around 3,300 provincial buses expected to benefit from it.

“The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has issued special permits for hundreds of buses to address the exodus of passengers so we want to help them out in support of LTFRB’s policies,” said Nebrija.

The special permit grants operators to have special trips or send their bus units outside their specific routes to address the high demand in some routes.

Based on their monitoring, Nebrija said province-bound people have crowded terminals since Thursday.

“Many of the workers have filed their leaves or availed forced leaves to be able to spend their holiday with their families,” said Nebrija.

The traffic reduction scheme will remain in effect for other modes of transport, including AUV taxis, jeepneys, and private cars. The number coding is automatically lifted only during holidays.

Nebrija said they would be monitoring bus terminals, particularly located along Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) to monitor the situation inside terminals and remind drivers not hamper the traffic flow.