Metro Manila mayors OK integrated bus terminal

THE plan of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to set up an integrated bus terminal in the south area of the metropolis has been approved by Metro Manila mayors.

MMDA Assistant General Manager for Operations Emerson Carlos said that the move was approved during the recent Metro Manila Council (MMC) meeting.

He said that the central bus terminal will be constructed in Coastal Mall corner MIA Road in Parañaque City and is expected to be operational by June this year.

“[The] central bus terminals [will be set up in] Coastal Mall,” said Carlos.

He said that the facility at the Coastal Road would serve as the temporary terminal for provincial buses plying the southern parts of Metro Manila.

According to him, once operational, provincial buses will only be allowed to go as far as their designated terminals when entering Metro Manila.

“This would be an integrated and multimodal transport system,” said Carlos.

President Benigno Aquino 3rd earlier signed Executive Order 67, which provides for the establishment of an integrated and multimodal transport system (ITS) under the public-private partnership (PPP) program.

It aims to dramatically reduce traffic congestion in the capital.

He said the project involves building provincial bus terminals at three main end points— in the north, south and east—that will then limit the number of buses plying the roads of Metro Manila.

He said the MMDA is the lead agency for the south-west location. Other agencies such as the Department of Transportation and Communication and the Department of Public Works and Highways are the agencies leading the building of bus terminals near the North Luzon Expressway, for provincial buses with Northern Luzon routes and near the South Luzon Expressway, for provincial buses with Southern Luzon routes.

Based on MMDA’s statistics, of the 13,067 total buses that ply Metro Manila roads, nearly 60 percent or 7,736 are provincial buses.

RITCHIE A. HORARIO