EDSA BUSES. Public utility buses fill the streets of Edsa before the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic hit the country. The Department of Transportation on Wednesday said three more city bus routes will open by Thursday, bringing the total active city bus routes in the region at 20. (PNA file photo)
MANILA – Three more city bus routes are set to be launched on Thursday (June 11) as part of the government’s planned gradual resumption of public transportation in Metro Manila.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said the three new routes are Route 4 or North Edsa-Fairview, Route 6 or Quezon Avenue-Edsa Taft Avenue, and Route 16 or Ayala Avenue-FTI.
“Alinsunod sa kautusan ng Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) at DOTr, unti-unting ibabalik ang operasyon ng pampublikong transportasyon (In compliance with the order of the IATF-EID and the DOTr, there will be a gradual return of public transportation),” the DOTr said.
The new routes to be opened are in addition to 17 city bus routes already operating in the region beginning the start of June.
These active routes include a portion of the Edsa Carousel route which augments the Metro Rail Transit Line 3; Route 1, Monumento-Balagtas; Route 2, Monumento-Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX); Route 3, Monumento-Valenzuela Gateway Complex; Route 5, Quezon Avenue-Angat; Route 7, Quezon Avenue-Montalban; Route 8, Cubao-Montalban; Route 9, Cubao-Antipolo which augments the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) Route 11, Gilmore-Taytay; Route 13, Buendia-Bonifacio Global City (BGC); Route 17, Monumento-Edsa Taft which augments the LRT-1; Route 18, PITX-Ninoy Aquino International Airport Loop; Route 21, Monumento-San Jose Del Monte; Route 24, PITX-Alabang; Route 25, BGC-Alabang; Route 28, PITX-Dasmariñas; and Route 29, PITX-General Mariano Alvarez.
According to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Memorandum Circular 2020-019, there will be a total of 31 city bus routes running throughout Metro Manila that will replace the old public utility bus routes (PUB) for the duration of the general community quarantine.
Aside from city buses, some point-to-point (P2P) buses have also resumed operation, which the DOTr on Monday said totaled to 271 P2P bus units running 28 different routes in Metro Manila.
Since the beginning of the GCQ in the National Capital Region, other public transportation modes have also resumed operation which included taxis, transport network vehicle services, rail services, and tricycles if allowed by their respective local government units. (PNA)
