Restore public bli transport under MECQ
THESE days, public transportation is associated with enhanced risks of coronavirus infection. What is often ignored is that the absence or insufficiency of public transport is associated with many similar risks.
Even with the return to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), there are still large numbers of people who need to travel every day. Besides health workers, there are those who handle all the other essential services all of us rely on — from supermarket clerks and cashiers to bank tellers and government employees. This vital workforce accounts for over 20 percent of persons employed.
On top of that, there are ordinary citizens who still need to do their everyday essential tasks, such as buying food, going to the bank, paying bills and seeing their dentist or doctor, among others. In normal times, these nonworkrelated trips account for about 70 percent of travel within cities.
When public transport is in very short supply or missing, those who need to travel are placed in very difficult situations. Some use their own resources and opt to walk or cycle to their destinations, while others are compelled to explore and test other travel options, some of which expose them to additional risks. For instance, some resort to hitchhiking, hoping that a stranger with a kind heart would offer them a ride. Others wait with hundreds by the curbside, praying that the next van that stops would have some seats available.
The government has encouraged businesses to hire private shuttle services to serve their employees. But only larger corporations and enterprises are likely to have the capacity, knowledge and financial resources to organize such services.
The reality is that a shuttle service would be a very poor substitute for the reach of a public transport network. It is unlikely that everyone in an office comes from one district in a city. Moreover, managers of small businesses generally lack the time and resources to organize shuttle services for its staff. They are fully occupied just keeping their businesses alive.
Another response was for the government to organize “libreng
sakay” (free ride) buses and minibuses for health workers. This was a laudable gesture, but the very small scale of the operations delivered had little impact. In the end, the number of passengers who availed themselves of these services represented only a small fraction — less than 10 percent — of the total number of workers in essential industries.
As soon as possible, the government needs to restore public transport (trains and public utility vehicles authorized before the current MECQ) with proper sanitation protocols. One issue is that many public transport operators and drivers are reluctant to operate their vehicles because of the risk of incurring losses because of reduced seating capacity and physical distancing.
Over the medium term, in order to have safe, sufficient and reliable travel options, the government and local government units (LGUs) should adopt service contracting as a way of organizing public transport services and activating available public transport capacity with appropriate health safeguards.
With a contract that enables transport operators to earn a reasonable profit, there is also greater possibility that operators and drivers would comply fully with vehicle disinfection protocols.
Many LGUs are keen to apply service contracting within their localities. To facilitate this, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) should issue, possibly jointly with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, a policy directive on service contracting that would empower LGUs to take on greater responsibilities for organizing public transport services. Service contracts issued by LGUs, if compliant with DoTr guidelines, should be entitled to a speedy, if not automatic, issuance of a Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board franchise.
Still, even if all available public transport vehicles, including traditional jeepneys, are made available, supply would remain insufficient. Millions would have no option except to walk or cycle. For this reason, networks of bicycle lanes should be developed in every part of a city to offer citizens a different travel option, one that is far cleaner, greener and healthier.
Bicycle use should be promoted in every city through the development of networks of protected bike lanes, the installation of bike racks in origin and destination points, and introduction of bicycle-sharing programs at city and village levels. “Pop-up” bicycle lanes should be established throughout Metro Manila and other urban areas so that those without access to public transport will have safe travel options
We should use this “timeout” under MECQ to plan how we can make our public transportation safe, sufficient and reliable,
and how we can create favorable environments for cycling all over the country. This chance to shape our urban environment to make it more livable comes very rarely; we should seize this opportunity and not let a crisis go to waste.