If you’re a regular user of the Metro Rail Transit line 3 (MRT-3), you may have noticed that riding the said train has become an even worse nightmare as of late. If it isn’t busted trains, it’s the utter lack of them. Yet the Department of Transportation is working hard to fix the problem as it has promised to overhaul and increase the number of trains after the Holy Week.
In the meantime, the DOTr is doing all it can to ease commuter woes by taking steps to meet daily passenger demand. One of these measures is the P2P bus augmentation scheme at the MRT-3 stations in North Avenue and Quezon Avenue. The said buses are deployed to these stations to help make up for the lack of trains, especially during morning rush hour.
DOTr Undersecretary Timothy John Batan cited the efforts of various government agencies that have bonded together for the said move. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Land Transportation Office, Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group, DOTr Office of Commuter Affairs, and MRT-3 are all hard at work to ensure that commuters don’t get stranded simply because of the lack of viable and safe public transport.
And the results seem to be paying off. Assistant Secretary for Road Transport, Mark Richmund de Leon notes that as of 9am, February 14, 32 buses have been deployed going to MRT-3 stations southbound, while 13 P2P buses went northbound.
Since February 1, 2018 up until the 13th of this month, the P2P bus service that was deployed at the MRT-3 as part of the bus augmentation scheme has made some 521 trips. It has served a total of 28,825 passengers. And with more P2P buses plying the route, it hopes to increase this number in the coming days.
