His time is nearly up, so why didn’t he do anything about this earlier in his term?
Outgoing Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chief Atty. Winston Ginez says that the person who replaces him needs to address the “shortage” of public utility buses (PUB).
In an interview on ANC’s Headstart on Thu, Jun 16, Ginez said, “Actually, our current supply of buses is inadequate. You will see this during peak seasons. The lines are so long during Christmas, New Year. November 1, Holy Week.”
Ginez further explained that despite having 8,000 PUBs, city or provincial buses, on Metro Manila highways, there’s a study indicating that we need more buses. He pointed out: “These buses are all coming from the provinces and we think and we feel — and there are studies that will prove this — that they are not yet enough.”
However, Ginez agrees that in the case of Metro Manila, the roads may not be able to accommodate more vehicles. For, he noted that “EDSA hasn’t been expanded in years.”
Ginez went on to suggest, “What we would like to see, and we’ll recommend it, is proper dispatching of these buses. During peak hours in the morning and in the afternoon, the lines of commuters are so long.”
He also had this advice to the incoming LTFRB chief (whoever he or she may be): “Right now, in order to have an impact within the first 100 days of the administration, would still really be the high-capacity, high-efficiency, and high-quality public buses.”
