Tubig!!!

Just like the bad old days, I am now back to having to yell: TUBIG!!! Or announcing to the entire house that I’m about to take a shower so nobody should use the water or open any tap!

After several years of being a happy Manila Water Consumer I am now an unhappy miserable consumer because Manila Water’s pressure has been reduced to half of its might that I now have a stand-by bucket in my bathroom. Half the time I have to be careful I don’t burn or catch a cold while trying to get my water heater that is “pressure sensitive” to work!

From what I can figure out, all this has to do with the forced water rationing or the reduction in supply from MWSS to Manila Water and Maynilad concessionaires. But the rationing should not affect pressure or delivery, should it? I also can’t understand the logic of “rationing” in Metro Manila where consumers simply don’t give a rat’s ass as long as the water comes out of their faucet. If MWSS, Manila Water and Maynilad want an effective water conservation method, raise the price of water!!! Yes double the price if need be so we can put a stop to all the waste in car washes, golf courses and the likes.

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The people in-charge of Carmagedon in Metro Manila recently tried out the DOTC project that has been called “Premium Bus Lane” where brand new buses will run strictly from point to point on the former EDSA-APEC lanes using the brand new multi-million peso leftover orange plastic dividers. From what I heard in the news the “Premium Buses” will run from Trinoma to Ayala or Quezon City to MOA in Pasay – non-stop at a cost of about P50 per passenger.

The goal is for the buses to cut travel time from QC to Makati or MOA, provide luxury bus services, and “Believe it or Not” convince car owners to leave their cars at home and take the bus.

Car owners use cars for comfort and convenience. A new luxury bus will be comfortable but not necessarily convenient because the passenger or commuter will first have to get to Trinoma, Ayala, or MOA in order to catch the Premium Bus. Getting to and from the EDSA-APEC loading points takes as much time and requires a tricycle, a jeepney or cab ride or for the passenger to get someone to drive them to the loading area.

Assuming they overcome that first hurdle with grace and composure, they will still have to walk or ride from their arrival area to their office or destination. What the liberated riders save in gasoline and parking fees will be replaced by time lost, their sweaty and smelly arrival, not to mention the desire to kick your self in the ass for giving up your mobile fortress and entertainment capsule and refrigerator on wheels.

Given that the DOTC project is all about utilizing the APEC lanes and cutting down travel time only, there will be no pedestrian or commuter infrastructure beyond EDSA to catch the bus riders who will have to go on foot under the sun or rain or cue for UV Express or get an UBER or Grab taxi. So if the comfort is only half the way, they are still better off taking their car and have flexibility. This is what you call solving half the problem and making new ones.

A new problem is how the rides were priced. Trinoma to Ayala based on Google map is approximately 15 kilometers. At the suggested price of P50, the average per kilometer rate would be P3.30 per kilometer. An aircon tourist bus ride from Lipa City to Cubao, Quezon City costs P140 for the 94-kilometer ride, or P1. 48 per kilometer. From Baguio to Manila Victory liner charged us P750 for a distance of 241 kilometers or an average of P3.11 per kilometer.

Buses pay multiple toll fees not to mention the hidden costs of doing business. So the average I computed is actually lower than actual costs. The DOTC Premium project on the other hand pay no toll fees and they are even proposing motorcycle police escorts to clear the way on an already dedicated lane! So how come they get to charge much higher than the Lipa or Baguio buses? This to me is profiteering at the expense of desperate commuters.

Assuming we are that desperate, how will they resolve the fact that the Premium Buses will eventually have to cross from the “APEC” lane over to the outer lane where they will regularly cut into the motorcycle lane, car lanes and ordinary bus lanes. Whatever speeds the buses attain on the express lane will ultimately be lost and the delays multiplied on the part of the general driving and riding public. Once again we find armchair generals dictating on how EDSA is to be managed and imposing their imbecilic ideas upon the Highway Patrol Group that should be left alone to do the job they know best.

Another question raised about the Premium Bus concept is will they be able to generate enough volume to justify shutting down or closing off the fast lane of EDSA long term. If not enough buses run through the fast lane, as in one bus every 2 minutes, drivers and commuters stuck or squeezed in will surely howl and eventually call for an “Occupy EDSA” rally!

The idea that got a positive response right after APEC was to use the APEC Lane as a fast lane for private and commercial delivery vehicles from point to point, with a provision for exit/breaks along the way for emergency. This might not even be necessary since the orange barriers are made of plastic and easily moveable. The same lanes can be utilized just like during APEC 2015 and this would speed things up for those heading to the airport, MOA, or Ayala.

As for the regular buses, it will help if the LTFRB, MMDA and HPG designated buses by the numbers 1 – 2 – 3 and assigned dedicated bus stops for these. One major reason for traffic on EDSA and similar routes is because all the buses can stop anywhere they want and usually all of them stop at all the major stops therefore clogging the lanes and causing traffic.

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