LTFRB clears 1,131 buses for Undas travel surge

MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has approved special permits for 1,131 buses ahead of this year’s Undas travel rush, while applications covering about 90 more buses remain under review.

The LTFRB on Monday said it had approved 384 special permit applications covering the 1,131 buses to accommodate the expected increase in passengers traveling for All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. Another 28 applications covering around 90 buses were still being reviewed.

Acting LTFRB Chair Greg Pua Jr. said the agency was checking the safety of buses applying for special permits before allowing them to operate on long-distance routes.

“Our approval mechanisms include stringent review of the units that will be given special permits are indeed safe for long travels. The safety of passengers and other road users must not be compromised,” Pua said.

READ: Parañaque terminal PITX expects at least 1.8M passengers for Undas

The Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) earlier projected more than 1.9 million passengers for the Undas exodus, including travelers heading between Metro Manila and Luzon, as well as those bound for provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao.

LTFRB Executive Director John Paul Allen Victa, who heads the office that reviews and approves special permits, said 1,080 of the approved buses have Metro Manila as their point of origin.

The agency approved 402 buses for Metro Manila–Northern Luzon routes, 290 for Central Luzon, 185 for Southern Luzon and 61 for the Bicol region. It also approved permits for 19 buses bound for Eastern Visayas, 13 for Western Visayas and 10 for Mindanao. 

Other approved units, according to Victa, will serve routes in Northern Luzon, Central Luzon and Bicol that do not pass through Metro Manila.

The agenct said the approvals follow President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure sufficient public transportation during Undas, under the guidance of Transportation Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez.

Pua said the LTFRB had directed its regional franchising and regulatory offices to monitor passenger conditions in their respective areas to help prevent commuters from being stranded.

“All our efforts are intended to ensure a safe and comfortable travel experience to all our kababayan to and from their hometowns for this important annual religious activity to honor our departed loved ones,” Pua said. /das