THE Provincial Bus Operators Associations of the Philippines (PBOAP) welcomed the go signal for provincial buses to ply the routes to Manila on a terminal to terminal basis.
Alex Yague, Executive Director of (PBOAP) hailed the decisiion of President Rodrigo Road Duterte and his Cabinet ti allow the provincial buses to return to point-to-point routes.
Yague said bus operators shall use their existing terminals inside Manila to ensure “direct trips” only and shall comply with all Inter-Agency Task Force (IAFT) safety protocols.
No multiple transfers on provincial trips will be allowed to avoid the risk of infection among passengers.
“Tayo po sampu nang lahat ng ating mga officers at members sa provincial bus ay taos sa pusong nagpapasalamat kay President Rodrigo Road Duterte at sa kanyang Cabinet sa pagbibigay ng go signal sa provincial bus na makabiyahe na muli, under sa supervision ng Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board,” Yague said in a statement.
“Nagpapasalamat din po kami sa lahat ng Local Government Units na pumayag na magbalik biyahe na ang provincial bus,” said Yague.
Yague assured the LTFRB and all local government units, all PBOAP officers and members will comply with all necessary health protocols to ensure the safety of drivers, conductors, employees, commuters and the public in general.
The Cabinet, which met Monday, allowed “provincial buses in point-to-point routes approved by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the local government unit of destination, including their stop-over/transit terminals,” to resume operations, according to the inter-agency task force against COVID-19.
“Point-to-point provincial buses shall be allowed unhampered passage through the different LGUs en route to the LGU of destination,” the task force said in a statement.
Earlier, the LTFRB re-opened provincial routes in Region 1, 2,3 and 4.
Authorities in March suspended all modes of public transport due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
