Our mobility crisis is far from over

EVEN before Covid- 19, our public transport was already seriously deficient.

When the pandemic hit, physical distancing measures sharply reduced the number of passengers on buses, trains and jeepneys. Just check out the queues at any train station or bus stop during rush hour nowadays. The lines are back to lasting for over an hour. The mobility crisis will get worse once more businesses reopen and physical classes resume. We need to take remedial action now.

Physical distancing remains one of the most effective strategies to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The challenge is to increase public transport without increasing the risk of transmission. Even with all passengers using face masks and face shields, increasing passenger density within public transport vehicles by reducing the minimum distance between passengers adds to that risk. As much as possible, increasing passenger density should come after other mobility- enhancing measures have been exhausted, beginning with the following:

– Make walking and cycling safe and attractive. In all cities, safe walking and cycling infrastructure is not just “nice to have;” it is now absolutely necessary. The reality is that, even with all public transport capacity tapped, public transport would still be insufficient, leaving millions of urban Filipinos with no option but to walk or cycle to their destinations. Unless safe sidewalks and protected bike lanes are developed, we will see increasing numbers of injuries and fatalities from collisions involving cyclists, pedestrians and motor vehicles.

Investing in active transport infrastructure offers huge health, environmental and economic gains by attracting more people to walk or cycle instead of using motor vehicles or public transport. If more commuters shift to walking or cycling, the pressure on overburdened public transport services would be eased. And every car user who leaves their vehicle at home in order to walk or cycle means less pollution, a smaller carbon footprint and better health outcomes.

Authorize all available public transport to operate. Right now, there are still many thousands of public transport vehicles that are not yet authorized by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to operate. This available capacity needs to be released. Most of the vehicles that remain sidelined are open- air jeepneys, which are considered safer during the pandemic than air- conditioned vehicles because of their better ventilation and air exchange. Inadequate supply has driven up transport costs of Filipino families as commuters are forced to take more expensive options. To address high inflation in the transport sector, more vehicles should be operating. Authorizing more vehicles to operate is only one part of the answer; their operations need to be financially viable. This is why service contracting is crucial.

Service contracting will help ensure that the needed services are delivered. If mobility is a basic need and public transport is essential, transport services should be organized so that they are delivered to meet the needs and expectations of clients. Under the current circumstances, many operators have limited their services because they worry about incurring losses. Only an estimated one- third to one- half of the authorized public transport operators are actually providing services.

With service contracting, these operators would be paid by the government to provide services ( similar to a charter arrangement), usually on a daily or per- kilometer basis ( they would no longer rely on fare revenue for their income). This would cover their costs and generate a reasonable profit. The government, either local or national, collects the fares and assumes the financial risk. If fares are insufficient to cover the costs of an essential service, a subsidy is provided out of the budget. This is how essential services, like health and education, should be financed.

– Service contracts are performancebased. Outputs are measured using information technology and passenger surveys; penalties are applied when service standards are not met. It also becomes easier

for the regulator to monitor and regulate the services offered. This would be a big improvement from the current situation where public transport services are unspecified and the government does not measure what services are actually being delivered.

– Enable faster travel for public transport ve h i c l e s. Public transport will be able to carry many more passengers if public utility vehicles ( PUVs) have more round trips. This means freeing the vehicles from traffic wherever possible, so that buses and jeepneys reduce the time it takes them to complete a round trip.

In cities all over the world, the most common strategies involve introducing PUV- only lanes, so that public transport is unimpeded by friction with private motor vehicles; traffic signal priority for PUVs, so public transport can cross intersections ahead of private vehicles or have reduced waiting time; improved public transport infrastructure in the form of better stops, terminals and depots; and cashless fare collection systems for fast boarding and alighting. These measures can be introduced in one or two years without

heavy infrastructure, enabling tangible benefits for millions of commuters before the end of the Duterte administration.

Before increasing density further on public transport ( which will raise the risk of coronavirus transmission), we need to focus on measures that would improve mobility without increasing health risks: add more public transport vehicles, adopt service contracting, promote safe walking and cycling, and enable faster travel for public transport vehicles.

The resumption of economic activity in our cities will depend on whether these initiatives are financed ( an estimated 2021 budget of P5.25 billion for active transport; P43.7 billion for service contracting; and P12.6 billion for public transport infrastructure). Funds for these crucial activities have not been included in the 2021 budgets of the Transportation and Public Works departments, and the window for introducing these budget items is closing fast. We should not lose this chance to address our mobility crisis and prevent further economic decline.