MANILA — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has ordered the closure of five bus terminals along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Pasay City Wednesday for violating the ‘nose in, nose out’ policy.
These bus terminals are Maria Victoria Transit and St. Jude/Penafrancia Transport Inc. for northbound direction and A. Aranda Line; Bobis Transit and RMB Transport System for southbound.
The MMDA has also discovered the terminals lack of necessary documents like business permits and important facilities such as shade, ventilation, waiting area with chairs for passengers and ramps for persons with disabilities during an inspection conducted with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and officials of the Pasay City local government.
MMDA chairman Danilo Lim said terminals that are violating the ‘nose in, nose out’ policy cause heavy traffic congestion in areas where the buses ply.
“Traffic gets heavier when buses go in and out of their terminals because vehicles on the road are waiting for them to maneuver,” Lim said in a statement.
“Aside from that, they neglect the welfare of their passengers by ignoring proper maintenance and sanitation,” he added.
Lim said the bus companies will only be allowed to resume operations once they have complied with the requirements of the agency and the local government unit.
For its part, the LTFRB has asked the MMDA to submit reports to their office if the bus terminals continue their violations despite the closure order.
Under the ‘nose in nose out’ policy, buses should go in and out of the terminal with their front first and must maneuver within the terminal if they want to enter again. (Aerol John Pateña/PNA)