METRO MANILA COMMUTERS BETTER BRACE THEMSELVES FOR MANIC MONDAY

Regulatory Board (LTFRB) advised the public to adopt cashless fare payments.

Digital wallet

According to the board’s Memorandum Circular No. 2020-18, which set guidelines for public utility vehicles (PUVS) during GCQ, only taxis, buses or jeepneys capable of cashless transactions would be given a special permit to operate during this period, said LTFRB chair Martin Delgra.

Fares could be paid with the digital wallet apps Gcash, Paymaya, Squidpay and AF Payments, the concessionaire for the beep cards used for the three commuter trains.

Passengers must enroll with any of these apps. Taxis and transport network vehicle services like Grab are already capable of implementing this on the first day of GCQ.

Passengers should expect to be asked for their contact details during their commute as

PUVS are required to keep daily record to aid contact tracing.

But going cashless does not necessarily mean life would be easier for taxi drivers, who shared their concerns in a Facebook group.

Only 2,025 Grab drivers

One driver named Arthur lamented that using digital wallets would mean having no cash to buy food or other needs for a week as it takes that long for an app to disburse actual cash to the users.

Grab, which will resume operation on Monday, said it was prepared to mobilize 20,000 drivers but was allowed only 2,025 by the LTFRB.

The company requested the LTFRB to increase the number “on behalf of both the drivers and the commuting public who are working to deliver much-needed services to our ‘kababayans’ amidst the pandemic and an embattled economy.” There was no immediate response from the board.

On Friday, the DOTR gave the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) P33 million to fund the “transformation” of Edsa.

The money will be spent to construct bus stops and pedestrian overpasses, said MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago.

More bus stops needed

The plan was to erect 11 bus stops initially, but only four could be completed in time for Monday. Fifteen more stops are to be built starting June 21.

Construction of the 1.5-meter-wide bike lane on the former bus lane of Edsa will start on Monday and is expected to be finished on June 21.

“All these plans will be long-term projects,” said MMDA general manager Jojo Garcia. “Still, don’t expect that once we wake up on Monday everything would have been changed. This is a slow and gradual process. Let us remember that the general community quarantine means we’re still under quarantine, so we urge everyone not to forget what we are dealing with.”