City bus companies operating in Metro Manila have requested the restoration of pre-pandemic routes to boost the pay of their drivers and recoup losses.
They also appealed to the government to remove bike lanes and discontinue the EDSA Bus Carousel, which has designated stops close to Metro Rail Transit 3 stations.
“Before nabigay sa amin ‘yung mga GCQ [general community quarantine] routes, lahat kami we already started with refleeting dahil sa transport modernization program. In-acquire namin ‘yung mga buses na ‘yun. Malalaki ‘yung loans na ‘yun tapos naiba ‘yung routes,” Sheila Albero, president of Mega Manila Consortium, said in a GMA Integrated News report on Monday.
From more than 3,000 city buses on EDSA before the COVID-19 crisis hit, this number has dwindled to around 500, according to the consortium.
“We’re asking the government if we could come up with a win-win solution kung paano kami makabalik and balance natin na hindi masyado maka-cause ng traffic,” Albero said.
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III said the agency is open to the idea of returning to pre-pandemic bus routes.
“We may not totally open EDSA for them, but we may have an additional lane for them,” Guadiz said.
