MANILA — Provincial buses may use the integrated bus terminal in Valenzuela City once the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) starts its implementation of the provincial bus ban along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) on August 15.
The policy seeks to ease traffic congestion in EDSA by reducing the number of provincial buses.
The local government of Valenzuela has allowed buses from provinces such as Bulacan, Bataan, and Pampanga to use the Valenzuela Gateway Complex Central Integrated Terminal, MMDA Spokesperson Celine Pialago said.
“Sisimulan muna natin sa north kasi open na yung Valenzuela terminal sa Valenzuela Gateway Complex. Ito ‘yung una nating gamitin na provincial terminal outside Metro Manila. Nasa last frontier na ng Metro Manila in the north through the LGU pumayag na pwede na gamitin on August 15. Maganda ito kasiintermodal (We will start in the north because the terminal in Valenzuela Gateway Complex is already opened. This is the first provincial terminal outside Metro Manila that may be used. It is within the last frontier of Metro Manila in the north… the LGU has allowed us to use it starting August 15. This is good as this is intermodal),” Pialago said in a radio interview over the weekend.
The terminal can accommodate around 298 buses, the MMDA said.
The agency is eyeing a ban on select provincial bus routes on EDSA – from Balintawak to Magallanes – with the opening of the Valenzuela terminal.
MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia said in a previous press briefing that the provincial bus ban is in line with the intermodal transport system being proposed by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila.
Under this system, provincial buses will no longer be allowed to traverse along major roads in Metro Manila. Terminals will be installed outside the metropolis as these buses and passengers will be linked to other modes of public transportation such as city buses, jeepneys, taxis, among others.
Three bus terminals are set to be operational in various parts of Metro Manila — the bus terminal in Valenzuela which will operate this August; the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, which is set to open in September; and the bus terminal in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, which is expected to open in December this year. (Aerol John Pateña/PNA)
