The number of buses deployed under the peak hours augmentation bus system (PHABS) is enough to accommodate stranded commuters especially during rainy days, the City Traffic and Transportation Management Office (CTTMO) said.
CTTMO head Dionisio Abude said in a media interview Monday that the number of buses deployed depends on the capacity of the jeepneys to accommodate the commuters.
Priority areas are at Roxas Avenue, GMall, Uniqlo Acacia, and University of Mindanao Matina, where many commuters are usually stranded, he said.
The PHABS primarily consists of public utility buses, but additional buses from the city government and vehicles from the CTTMO and city task force are also deployed, if needed.
He said Love Bus units of the Office of the President and buses of the Office of the Vice President are always ready for deployment in case it rains.
Abude said they have inspectors who monitor and alert the office if there is a need for them to deploy buses. He added that they can accommodate stranded commuters until 9 pm.
He noted that more commuters are stranded during heavy rains because many drivers would choose to stop plying their routes. Most of these commuters live in areas like Toril, Calinan, and Lasang, which jeepneys would not service at night.
With the city’s roughly 800,000 commuters, Abude clarified that PHABS will not deprive the jeepneys of passengers as the buses will not be able to accommodate all of them.
He said there would be no stranded commuters if the jeepneys could service them until evening. (Razl EJ Teman/MindaNews)
