China helps Philippines with buses

The Davao City government will deploy two buses donated by the city's sister city Nanning of the People's Republic of China - one to shuttle public school teachers to and from the downtown area to Marilog and the second for tourism purposes.

The deployment of one bus for teachers assigned in the Marilog District will ease their travel. The teachers had been facing difficulty in traveling to Marilog due to a lack of public transport plying the area.

https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/politics/free-bus-transport-for-public-school-teachers/? 

Big problems call for big fixes. #freepublictransport

Department of Transportation starts Taguig transport terminal project | Coconuts Manila: "Transportation is a big problem in Manila. Although the city has a train system, it only goes to certain areas and routinely breaks down. Major roads are also almost always congested."

Cars choking Manila, but road pricing is a bad idea

ABS-CBN News: "MANILA - The government is pushing for higher excise taxes on cars to divert motorists to public transportation, boosting efforts to untangle chronic traffic jams, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said Tuesday.
Dominguez said the automobile tax, if approved by Congress, should take effect in 2018, giving authorities ample time to fix the country's rail systems and put in place alternative modes of transport such as bus rapid transit lines."

Road pricing will just add more bureaucracy, generate calls of unfairness, and divide people. Just make the buses fare-free and respond to demand. People will vote with their seat.

Fresnedi gives free e-jeep rides to yellow card holders

The Standard: "Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi is treating the city’s yellow card holders to a E-Jeepney for Free program in line with its bid to be the greenest city in the country by deploying electric vehicles."

Stop planning. Makes buses fare-free and people will show you where the needs are

Cebu Daily News: "The Duterte administration, as well as local government units in Cebu, will have its hands full in trying to select which projects it should prioritize.

Cable cars? Bus Rapid Transit? Light Rail Transit? Subways? Airports?

Where should these projects be implemented to achieve the maximum benefit for both the commuting public and motorists? The key, I think, lies in effective master planning by the agencies concerned."

Pasig City launches free bus service at Ortigas Center

Inquirer News: "MANILA — The local government of Pasig City launched on Wednesday (June 22) a P3.3-million bus service that will ferry the public for free within the Ortigas Center in an effort to not only reduce the volume of cars plying the route but also ensure a much cleaner air in the business district.

Mayor Maribel Eusebio, who led the launch, said that a study of the Pasig City Land Use and Transport has identified the low level of efficiency of the public transportation passing through Ortigas Center as among the problems that the city government must address immediately."

Solar bus gives free rides

Sun.Star : "GREEN bus passengers will be ferried for free around the City.
Designated stops for the newly launched solar bus are Igorot Park – Harrison Road – BCNHS - BGH Rotunda – Kisad Road – Children’s Park/ Athletic Bowl – Harisson Road – Magsaysay Avenue – Bonifacio Road – SLU Rotunda.
The route is designed to go in and around Baguio’s central business district with designated pick-up and drop-off points."

Elites love BRT, but real solution is Free Public Transport

rappler.com : "At the Rappler senatorial debate on Friday, April 15, the candidates highlighted the need to improve public transportation, with two bets – Valenzuela Representative Sherwin Gatchalian and former Akbayan party list representative Walden Bello – specifically citing the bus rapid transit (BRT) system."

BRT is a favorite right now, because it is cheaper than MRT. But the 2 percent who own cars take up 45 percent of the road. A more dramatic fix is needed. That fix is fare-free buses... and lots of them.

Filipino commuters suffer in a system that favors cars

rappler : "Rush hour or not, EDSA seems perpetually stuck in a state of congestion. Cars crawl along the 23.9-km highway and easily spend at least an hour in non-moving traffic. Commuters spill out onto the streets, fighting each other for standing-room space in crowded buses. Overhead, one of the metro’s train lines chug along dilapidated rails, carrying twice its maximum capacity. It’s considered a good day for commuters if the train doesn’t suffer yet another technical glitch."

Road-sharing campaign comes to ‘killer highway’ this Sunday

Inquirer News : "Citing the success of the “Bayanihan sa Daan” road-sharing event held on Roxas Boulevard last month, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will do a repeat on Sunday, this time on Commonwealth Avenue.

The agency on Thursday said the March 6 activity would cover the northbound lanes of Commonwealth, from Philcoa to Sandiganbayan in Quezon City."

Challenge for Cebu: Switching to public from private transport

Cebu Daily News: "National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) regional director Efren Carreon said that a mass transportation system is “very much needed” in the city.

“This will save road space, and more people can be accommodated,” he said. The use of a public transport system will hopefully get more private cars off the road."

Philippines hit by slow-moving storm, heavy flooding

The New York Times: "Floodwaters brought on by heavy rains from Typhoon Koppu in the Philippine city of Baguio, north of Manila. Credit Harley Palangchao/Reuters"

Philippines still heading wrong way, away from public transit to roads

The Straits Times: ""It's a vicious circle. Unless you have a better public transportation system, those who can afford it will continue buying cars."
...But the focus has been on building roads. President Benigno Aquino has signed off on projects to build eight roads and nine expressways.

Efficient public transport contributes to good health

Inquirer lifestyle: "THE WOEFUL inadequacy of public transport is not just a traffic problem because of the gridlocks that too many private vehicles cause, but is also a health issue. The commuters who waste time standing in line to squeeze into the MRT and LRT, buses and jeepneys are not just stressed, but are inhaling the toxic fumes, particularly carbon monoxide, that motor vehicles emit."

South Korea’s public transport

Inquirer Opinion: "A four-day stay in Seoul, South Korea, with my colleagues several weeks ago, opened our eyes to a different world amazingly far beyond compare to dear home country Philippines. It was definitely fun-filled—from the time we arrived at the Incheon Airport through the next days until we left. And this was so mainly because of Korea’s highly efficient mass public transport system."

Why make the poor pay for public transport?

Inquirer Opinion: "Public transport like the MRT or LRT should therefore be considered an essential part of production, or of the social or collective way by which wealth is produced in our society—just as machines, factories, offices, etc. are an essential part of production.

Consequently, the cost of constructing, operating and maintaining this component of production should be considered a cost of production—just as everything else used for production, and for which part of capital is used, is considered a cost of production.

But if public transport is an essential part of production and its upkeep and operation are a cost of production, then a basic question faced by all cities or countries is: Who should pay for it?"

Philippines suffer #climatechange caused by developed countries

BBC News - Typhoon Hagupit sweeps across Philippines: "Typhoon Hagupit is sweeping across the eastern Philippines, toppling trees and power lines and threatening coastal areas with a powerful sea-surge."

Philippine Commuters Are Challenging Politicians to Ride Public Transport at Rush Hour · Global Voices

Global Voices: "Netizens called on officials to ride the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) as well as the Philippine National Railways (PNR), which run across the country’s national capital region, during the rush hour to experience for themselves the difficulties that ordinary commuters experience every day."

Makati presses offer for free bus rides to MRT commuters

Celebrity Philippines: "The Makati City government is not giving up on its free shuttle services so easily.
In a letter sent to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay renewed his call for the LTFRB to allow the city’s free bus shuttle services for MRT commuters on  “compassionate grounds.”
Binay reassured LTFRB chairman Winston Ginez that the city government shared the agency’s concern for the welfare of the riding public.
“When Makati decided to offer free shuttle services, our intention was to help ease the suffering of our riders, to show them that government is sensitive to their needs and will go the extra mile to serve them,” Binay stated.
The mayor cited the long lines and frequent mechanical breakdowns at MRT that have greatly inconvenienced commuters as “an emergency situation that requires government intervention.”"

In Philippines, #freetransit leads to more transit

philstar.com: "Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay has also committed to purchase four more new buses to augment the six city-owned vehicles being used for the free transport program, which has been well-received by the riding public.

“Our present fleet of vehicles could only accommodate up to 250 passengers per trip, and the overwhelming response of the public to our program in its initial run has prompted our decision to add more buses, so that more citizens would benefit,” Binay said."