More P2P buses to operate as GCQ enters week two

Most of the country is now in its second week of General Community Quarantine (GCQ). However, public transport options are still limited, which has proven a challenge for those who have to commute to work. To address that setback, the DOTr (Department of Transport) has opened up more routes and deployed more buses to ease commuting.

The DOTr has activated 268 Point 2 Point (P2P) buses not just in Metro Manila, but also in nearby provinces. These P2P buses provide a link for commuters who must traverse to Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan.

All in all, there are 28 active routes for the P2P buses. These are:

Las Piñas – Makati

Sucat/PITX - Makati

Eastwood – Makati

Fairview – Makati

Alabang – Makati

Alabang – Ortigas

Alabang- BGC

Antipolo-Ortigas CBD

Antipolo - Makati CBD

Cainta – Makati

Imus – Makati

Noveleta – Makati

Sangley Airport/ Cavite City – NAIA

Makati – Bacoor

Makati – Dasmarinas

Alabang – Bacoor

Alabang – Dasmarinas

Taguig – Makati

Taguig – Ortigas

Malolos - North EDSA

Sta Maria/ Bocaue - North EDSA

Balagtas, Bulacan - North EDSA

Pandi, Bulacan - North EDSA

Plaridel, Bulacan - North EDSA

Sta. Rosa, Laguna - Makati City

Calamba, Laguna - Makati

Calamba - BGC/ Fort Bonifacio

Calamba – Lawton

With more routes opened up, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) reports that there are now approximately 1,470 public utility vehicles within NCR and the region's adjacent provinces. LTFRB's statistics say that there are 90 PUBs operating within the EDSA Carousel, 256 in Cubao-Antipolo, 57 in Monumento-EDSA Taft, 510 in Quezon Avenue-Angat, 111 for PITX-Dasmariñas, 116 for Monumento-Balagtas, 28 with Quezon Avenue-Montalban, 76 buses for PITX-NAIA Loop, 33 for Monumento-BGC, 105 for Monumento-San Jose Del Monte, 78 in Gilmore-Taytay, and Buendia-BGC with 10 buses. That's on top of the aforementioned 268 P2P buses which can now make their rounds.

Of course, these bus operators must conform to the Inter-Agency Task Force's rules and regulations for public transport. To ensure the safety of commuters, the use of face masks and gloves for bus drivers will be mandatory, the vehicle must not exceed 50 percent of its passenger capacity, and there will be regular cleaning and disinfecting of buses and terminals. P2P buses are equipped with an Automatic Fare Collection System for contactless payment to prevent the risk of spreading the virus.

The DOTr says they will gradually open up more bus routes once there's less risk to the public. These routes could likely continue to operate once the country is ready for Modified General Community Quarantine or MGCQ.

bus dotr ltfrb p2p