North provincial bus terminal operational by September

MANILA, Philippines - The interim North provincial bus terminal in Caloocan City will be operational next month to accommodate at least 376 provincial buses coming from Northern Luzon.

 

During the stakeholders' meeting Thursday, representatives from Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, northern Manila mayors and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board announced that before September ends, the one-hectare, idle privately-owned lot near the Monumento Rotunda would be ready to accommodate the provincial buses coming from Pangasinan, Tarlac and other parts of Northern Luzon.

 

MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino said the agency and Camanava local governments will pool their efforts to flatten and tidy up the open space in about two weeks time to beat the September deadline for its opening.

 

“All available resources and manpower will be on hand to speed up the rehabilitation of the North terminal,” he said.

 

He added that an inter-modal system is already in place nearby where passengers disembarking from the provincial buses can easily access to a jeepney terminal on the eastern side, and the Light Rail Transit Line 1 and city buses, both along Edsa.

 

He said these buses will only be allowed up to Monumento only and that they are also illegally traversing Edsa because there is no legitimate terminal in Monumento.

           

Earlier this week, the MMDA, together with LTFRB and the city government of Muntinlupa, opened the South Interim Provincial Terminal in Filinvest, Alabang for passenger buses coming from Southern Luzon.

 

The opening of interim provincial terminals south and north of Metro Manila was hatched after Metro Manila mayors, MMDA, and LTFRB agreed to  bar provincial public utility buses to ply Edsa to reduce the volume of vehicles traversing the major thoroughfare.

 

Tolentino said the government is relentlessly addressing all legitimate concerns regarding the operations of these interim terminals.

                       

“These terminals are temporary and will cease operations once the constructions of the integrated transport hubs are completed. Everyone, including the bus operators, drivers, passengers, and the government need to adjust and cooperate so we can have discipline and order on our roads,” he added.