SUV 'from gimmick' counterflows on EDSA busway

An SUV caught the ire of passengers of a bus after it used the EDSA busway to counter the flow in the wee hours of Sunday.

According to Sandra Aguinaldo's report on "24 Oras," the SUV driver initially refused to budge when he met the bus before giving in to back up for several minutes.

The SUV reportedly hit the railings several times.

“Siguro bago siya umatras po ano eh mga two minutes pa siguro bago siya umatras po eh. Parang gusto niya, ibig sabihin niya parang kami pa siguro 'yung may mali,” bus driver Ace Babina said.

(It took about two minutes before the vehicle backed away. But before that, it seems he wanted us to move for him.)

Bus conductor Regelio Ferolino Dayday said the SUV backed away about 100 meters.

“Mga 15 minutes po ma’am, hindi sya marunong umatras. Minsan naga-gutter siya. Yung mga pasahero, yung iba nagalit na kasi male-late na sila eh,” Dayday said.

(The SUV took about 15 minutes to back away. It looks like he does not know how to drive because there were times when he hit the gutter. Some of the passengers were mad because they will be late.)

Since there are few emergency entrances and exits in the EDSA busway, another bus, and an ambulance were also affected by the incident.

Enforcers of the Inter-Agency Council For Traffic Task Force responded to the incident.

“Itong may ari ng sasakayan nagsabi na galing syang gimik, medyo nakainom po siguro ito. And based on info that we were able to gather, lumagpas po sya sa pupuntahan nya which is going BGC kung saan sya umuuwi, nagulat sya lumapas sya so he saw an open barrier which napagkamalannnyang u turn slot going back to Guadalupe,”  MMDA Special Operations Strike Force Officer-in-Charge Gabriel Go.

(The owner of the SUV said he drove after a nightout. Maybe he’s a little drunk. And based on the info that we gathered, he missed the road going to BGC, where he was going home. When he saw the barrier, he thought it led to a U-turn slot back to Guadalupe.)

Unauthorized vehicles passing through the EDSA busway may face a penalty of P5,000 to P30,000 depending on the number of violations.

The driver’s license of violators may also be revoked. —Celine Serquiña/NB, GMA Integrated News