MOTORISTS can expect a measure of relief from traffic jams along EDSA (Epifanio delos Santos Avenue) in three months with the reduction of the number of buses plying the major thoroughfare, according to Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chair Elena Bautista.

Bautista said a survey would be conducted in the next three months to gather concrete data on how many passengers use the EDSA route, and how many buses actually need to be deployed there.

But she added that by her reckoning, the current occupancy of buses along EDSA is only 52 percent, meaning even with almost half of the buses gone, the commuting public could still be serviced.

"I just need scientific data to back up the logical plan. In the event that cases are filed against me, I have the data to back me up," she said yesterday. The plan Bautista referred to was the diversion of the excess number of buses to other routes where these would be needed.

She also said the popularity of the Metro Rail Transit, which traverses EDSA, is one reason for the planned reduction of buses along the route. The MRT already services around 500,000 passengers daily, she added.

The LTFRB chair also noted the discrepancy between the number of bus operators servicing EDSA, and the number of operators in the provinces. In EDSA alone, there are 30 operators with franchises.

Bautista added that this was an offshoot of her predecessor's earlier move to approve all applications for franchises at EDSA after the MRT was built.

When she joined the LTFRB in 2003, her first move was to impose a moratorium on the granting of franchises.

Source: Inquirer News Service