More EDSA busway enforcers sought

A PHILIPPINE Senator urged the Department of Transportation (DoTr) to station more enforcers in EDSA busway stations, citing safety concerns for passengers.

“Maybe we can put an enforcer there, 24 hours a day, or a member of SAICT (Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation),” Senator Erwin T. Tulfo said in a senate hearing on Tuesday. “That’s just to ensure safety at each station so that passengers who get off won’t be put at risk.”

The EDSA Busway, a dedicated bus lane along Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfare, consists of 23 stations operating 24 hours a day.

“We fully agree we need to continue our enforcement, especially now that our operations are 24-7,” Transportation Undersecretary Mark Steven Pastor told senators.

He added that the agency will also issue a directive next year for all operators to ensure that all buses have left side doors.

“So that’s to ensure that there are no safety issues when they get off,” Mr. Pastor said.

The Senator also told the Transportation department to implement measures to make the busway more accessible to Persons with Disability (PWDs).

He pushed for the agency to require transportation companies catering to the EDSA Busway to provide a kneeling bus for PWD commuters.

“I believe you need to talk to the bus owners, our companies — they are not friendly to people in wheelchairs,” Mr. Tulfo told the DoTr.

“We need them to introduce kneeling buses. The ones that get off to accommodate people in wheelchairs, the ones that work like in other countries,” he added. — Adrian H. Halili