Public transportation has been a complete mess in this country for years, and contributes mightily to the bigger problem of traffic congestion that chokes about P2 billion per day in lost productivity out of the national economy. The regulatory framework for the management of public transportation in and around Metro Manila is a murky mess involving the Department of Transportation, the Land Transportation Office, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, the Metro Manila Development Authority, and dozens of local government units, and it is clearly not working. Given the importance of public transportation—roughly 70 percent of the Philippines’ population does not own a car, after all—the most sensible solution is a single agency with authority over all land-based public transportation. Doing that would determine the most efficient routes for different types of public transportation, and the volume of vehicles needed to serve each route. Besides efficient planning of a public transportation network and the reduction of traffic congestion that would result from it, the biggest benefit of a single agency would be consistent enforcement of rules and regulations.

Source: Manila Times May 10, 2017 17:03 UTC