By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
After earlier ordering preparations for the upcoming All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days exodus, the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has approved special permits for 847 passenger buses, which would cover 124 routes in Metro Manila and Luzon.
These additional units will augment the transportation needs of commuters boarding and disembarking from bus terminals and transport hubs in the National Capital Region (NCR) to various destinations across the archipelago to commemorate their deceased loved ones.
In a media release on Friday, LTFRB Chairperson Vigor Mendoza II touted this initiative as cognizant of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure passenger comfort and safety during the “Undas” exodus.
Chairperson Mendoza said in a statement, “These additional buses will make up for the travel of more passengers on their way to respective provinces to pay respect to their departed loved ones. We will continue to assess and monitor the situation on the ground as early as next week when our kababayan start to travel to their hometowns.”
He emphasized, “In approving the special permits, it comes with an obligation to the bus companies to ensure the road worthiness of their units and the physical and mental readiness of their drivers and conductors at all times.”
Of the approved additional units, 189 of them will have the Metro Manila to Southern Luzon route (CALABARZON and MIMAROPA); 491 units for Metro Manila to Northern Luzon; 67 units for Metro Manila to Bicol Region.
A total of 18 additional buses were approved for Metro Manila-Eastern Visayas route; 21 for Metro Manila to Western Visayas; and, five are Mindanao-bound from Manila.
On the other hand, a total of 56 additional units were approved for other areas in Luzon, but do not cover the Metro Manila route.
Earlier, the LTFRB directed all Regional Directors to inspect transport terminals in their respective locales to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, with 22 units of two bus companies penalized for multiple violations early this week.
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