Transport economist Robert Siy, Pasada commuter group advocate Dom Hernandez and former Senator Nikki Coseteng called on government to upgrade public transport, ease restrictions on provincial buses north of Metro Manila and other urgent public transport reforms at the Pandesal Forum of 83-year-old Kamuning Bakery Café in Quezon City. Siy said bike owners to car owners in the Philippines is 4 bike owners to 1 car owner, therefore cities nationwide should ensure more bike lanes. Coseteng said: “Public transport is not only a human need, it is a basic human right.” Moderator Wilson Lee Flores also added that Philippine roads and highways should all be planted with trees on both sides, should have pedestrian walkways or sidewalks, and bike lanes should be safe and should have tactile surface “blind lanes” to guide blind person where to safely walk.
Nikki Coseteng asked why only 10% of provincial buses are allowed to service commuters and thousands of buses are parked in Bocaue when the commuters need more public transport options, while Dom Hernandez added that the 10% of provincial buses now servicing commuters have only 50% allowable seating capacity under Alert Level 2. They also urged additional support for the distressed public transport firms, drivers and workers, especially after they’ve suffered two years of pandemic disruptions.
Robert Siy of the Move as One coalition said that government should be less “car-centric” in planning and policies, but focus on helping public transport more. He that only 5% of households nationwide in the Philippines own or use cars, while 11.5% of Metro Manila households use cars, so government should allocate more balancing of budget in “Build, Build, Build” infrastructures to public transport. Siy said: “We should move people more, not just move cars. Let us encourage more people to ride public transport.” Coseteng also proposed that government should build modern bus and transport terminals to make commuting more efficient.
Hernandez urges that the worsening problem of “colorum” or unregistered, no-franchise public transport vehicles be tackled and resolved. Hernandez said that commuters in the Philippines have endured nonstop public transport hassles daily for many years and urged for comprehensive reforms.
Coseteng also proposed the adoption of e-jeepneys or electric-powered vehicles as more efficient, environmentally-friendly alternatives to existing public transport vehicles, with government subsidizing costs of replacements of old jeepneys.
Former Senator Nikki Coseteng also issued a public bet challenge of P2 million pesos at Pandesal Forum, for any top government official to ride public transport daily, so that they could truly understand and empathize with the plight of millions of commuters.#
