The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is fast tracking the identification and eventual construction of integrated bus terminals to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila, particularly EDSA.
Transportation Undersecretary for Road Transport Tim Orbos, however, stressed that the DOTr, along with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), will temporarily designate interim sites to swiftly address the current traffic situation.
“We are now fast-tracking the decision to choose from among 11 sites where the permanent terminals will be,” said Orbos, who is concurrent MMDA General Manager.
The DOTr official made the statement after Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista called on the transportation department and the MMDA to speed up the opening of an integrated bus terminal in the northern metropolis, in order to ease traffic congestion by reducing the number of provincial buses plying Metro Manila roads.
Orbos said that DOTr Secretary Art Tugade’s requirement for choosing or identifying the location of any integrated bus terminal is its accessibility to other modes of transport.
“Secretary Tugade’s instruction was clear – It should be able to house an intermodal facility where people can easily transfer from one transport mode to another, and must have easy access to trains, cabs, and other PUVs (public utility vehicles),” he said.
Meanwhile, Orbos said the DOTr has already identified the location of Southwest Integrated Terminal Exchange (SWITEx) in Paranaque City to cater commuters coming from southern provinces adjacent Metro Manila, such as Cavite, Laguna, Batangas and Quezon.
The SWITEx is expected to be completed and operational by April 2018.
Earlier this month, transportation officials visited and inspected the BF City bus terminal in Marikina City, that is seen to cater to passengers going to and from eastern Metro Manila and nearby municipalities in the province of Rizal.
Last July, the DOTr likewise inspected a proposed bus terminal in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, that is expected to cater to passengers going to and from southern provinces.
Both terminals will submit documentary requirements to the DOTr for accreditation.