‘No vax, no ride’ on Pasig River ferry

MANILA, Philippines — Starting today, the Pasig River ferry service will implement the “no vaccine, no ride” policy, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced yesterday.

The ferry service shut down from Wednesday to Saturday for disinfection.

MMDA Traffic Discipline Office chief Neomie Recio said ferry passengers should present their vaccination cards.

“Unvaccinated commuters cannot ride the ferry,” Recio said.

“We are just following the order of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) that unvaccinated people cannot use the service,” she added.

The Pasig River ferry service traverses the cities of Pasig, Makati, Mandaluyong, San Juan and Manila.

MMDA personnel will be deployed to check the vaccination cards of passengers, Recio said.

The DOTr has ordered the implementation of the “no vax, no ride” scheme in public transportation in Metro Manila while the region remains under Alert Level 3 until Jan. 31.

Metro Manila mayors pushed for stricter measures among the unvaccinated as the number of COVID-19 cases continued to increase.