Illegal bus terminals to be shut down after Holy Week —DOTr

The Department of Transportation and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board have ordered the shutdown of illegal bus terminals operating around Metro Manila after the Holy Week travel period.

In an interview on Tuesday, DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon said inspections revealed unauthorized terminals offering substandard facilities.

“Napakasama po ng lagay ng sitwasyon ng mga kababayan natin doon… Talagang napakainit. Ni monoblock man lang, electric fan, walang binibigay yung bus company natin na naandiyan. Yung CR, di ko alam kung matatawag natin na CR na yan. Nakakaawa po talaga, at nalaman natin na illegal tong terminal na ito,” Dizon said.

(The conditions were appalling. It was extremely hot, with no monoblock chairs or electric fans provided. The restrooms were barely usable. It’s truly disheartening—and these terminals turned out to be illegal.)

Despite operating without permits, these terminals charged passengers standard fares.

To accommodate travelers who already purchased tickets for Holy Week travel, Dizon said the government would allow these terminals to continue operations, but only until the end of the week.

“Nakakaawa naman mga kababayan natin, bumili po sila. Regular fare po ang kanilang binigay. May P1,500, P2,000… May umabot pa ng P2,800, yung mga bibiyahe hanggang Visayas. Mahirap naman po, kawawa sila kung di sila makakasakay,” he explained.

(Our citizens already paid for their tickets—some as much as P1,500 to P2,800 for trips to the Visayas. It would be unfair to leave them stranded.)

“Ngayong linggo po, para lang sa mga kababayan natin, palalagpasin natin to. Pero next week na next week, papasara na po natin lahat tong mga to,” he added.

(We’ll allow it this week out of consideration, but by next week, we’ll shut them all down.)

Nevertheless, Dizon said in a Tuesday DOTr statement that bus terminals should be modeled after the PITX and follow the minimum standards.

Thus the involved bus companies running the illegal terminals would be called to explain the state of their terminals.

“Meron naman tayong PITX, bakit may ganito? Hindi naman terminal ito. Walang upuan, naka-tolda, walang CR. Itong mga pasahero nagbabayad naman sila—regular fare. Hindi naman discounted ito. Hindi pwede ito. Lahat ng pwedeng penalties, sanctions na pwedeng i-impose, pinapaaral ko na sa LTFRB na i-impose sa mga ganitong bus companies,” he said.

(We have PITX, so why is it like this? This isn’t a terminal. There are no seats, it’s just a tarp, and there’s no CR. These passengers pay the regular fare. It isn’t discounted. This can’t be allowed. I am asking the LTFRB to study all the penalties and sanctions they can impose on these bus companies.)

“Ipapatawag natin lahat ng mga bus companies na ito. May minumum standards ang pagpapatakbo ng terminal. Hindi papasa ito [mga terminal na ito],” he added.

(We are calling all these bus companies. We have minimum standards in operating terminals. These terminals will not pass.)

Dizon said he would enlist the help of the Metro Manila Development Authority, the Philippine National Police, LTFRB, and the Land Transportation Office to shut down bus companies running illegal terminals.

Dizon also noted that most legal terminals met government standards and ensured a safe and convenient experience for travelers during the Holy Week rush.

“Ang kabilin-bilinan ng Pangulo natin, siguraduhing konbinyente at safe ang biyahe ng mga kababayan natin, lalong lalo na dumadagsa sa kanilang mga probinsya via land, sea, at air. Sa mga bus terminals natin, napakaganda ng preparasyon ng PITX. Maayos, may schedule, may mga upuan, malamig, di masyadong hirap ang ating mga kababayan. May konting improvements tayong hinihingi pero maayos naman overall ang sitwasyon doon,” he shared.

(The President has been clear—we must ensure safe and comfortable travel, especially during peak seasons. Terminals like PITX were well-prepared: scheduled trips, seating, and air-conditioning. While there’s room for improvement, overall conditions were good.)

He added that airports and seaports were also adequately prepared to handle the holiday travel surge. — DVM, GMA Integrated News