South Luzon buses to stop at Alabang starting August 28

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Provincial buses from Southern Luzon and Bicol with endpoints in Metro Manila will have to drop off its passengers at the South Station in Alabang, Muntilupa City, starting early morning Thursday, August 28.

In an advisory, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said 236 bus units with the said approved routes should take the Filinvest exit of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).

From the South Station to their respective provincial stations, the buses should enter SLEX through the Alabang viaduct, the LTFRB said.

The station will have a “soft launch” at 5 am Thursday, to be attended by officials from the transportation department, the LTFRB, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and the Muntinlupa local government. 

However, the provincial buses will be required to stop at the South Station starting 3 am.

Once the city has adjusted to the entry of the 236 buses, the LTFRB will determine if it will transfer 281 more provincial buses that have a terminal in “Market Market” in Taguig City to the South Station as well. 

The opening of the South Station, said LTFRB Chairman Winston Ginez, is a precursor to the full implementation of the government’s planned integrated transport system (ITS). Ginez said it would also help in the rationalization of bus endpoints.

Buses in violation of the new order will be sanctioned for being out-of-line and will face a P1 million penalty as set by an earlier joint administrative order issued by the transportation department and its bureaus. Further violations could lead to revocation of a bus franchise.

Executive Order No. 67 ordered the establishment of the ITS north and south of Metro Manila by 2016. – Rappler.com