Provincial buses allowed on EDSA ahead of Christmas until January – MMDA

Metro Manila, Philippines – Over two thousand provincial buses will be allowed to take Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) on select days for the holiday season, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said on Friday, Dec. 6.

The agency said these buses may use the main highway on Dec. 20 to 25 from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., and for 24 hours on Dec. 26 to Jan. 2.

The MMDA said buses from the north must end their trips in Cubao in Quezon City and from the south the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).

MMDA Chairperson Romando Artes said the scheme will not impact EDSA bus carousel trips.

“We want our bus operators to serve more passengers for their convenience and faster travel to their respective destinations,” Artes said in a press release.

Meanwhile, in an interview with NewsWatch Plus, Gabriel Go, MMDA Special Operations Group-Strike Force chief, said agency personnel are deployed until 12 a.m. to help ease traffic congestion.

He added that enforcers will be lenient on small violations during the holiday rush.

“As we all know, kapag tayo ay namara ng sasakyan. Let’s say may violation. One, we’d be taking up traffic congestion…that’s one thing we are trying to avoid right now,” said Go.

[Translation: As we all know, if we ask a vehicle to stop. Let’s say there’s a violation. One, we’d be taking up traffic congestion…that’s one thing we are trying to avoid right now]

MMDA said vehicle volume on EDSA may reach up to 480,000 weeks ahead of Christmas Day.

NewsWatch Plus correspondent Lance Mejico contributed to this report