North Luzon bus terminal in Caloocan by end-September

MANILA, Philippines – At least 376 provincial buses coming from northern Luzon will soon have only a bus terminal in Caloocan city as its end-point, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said Friday, August 29.

The MMDA said it is working with the governments of Caloocan City, Malabon City, and Navotas City, as well as the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), to complete the transformation of a “swampy and disheveled one-hectare lot” into an interim North provincial bus terminal.

Before September ends, the lot near the Monumento Rotunda will be able to service buses from Pangasinan, Tarlac, and another northern Luzon provinces, MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said in a statement.

The LGUs and the MMDA will “pool their efforts” to beat the September deadline, the MMDA said.

An intermodal system is already informally in place in the area, where passengers from provincial buses can easily access jeepneys, the Light Rail Transit Line 1 and city buses. But Tolentino said the provincial buses that will soon call the Caloocan terminal home are actually illegally entering EDSA since there are no legal terminals in Monumento.

The North terminal is part of government’s efforts to ease traffic in Metro Manila by preventing provincial buses from entering the metro’s major thoroughfares.

Just this week, officials opened the South terminal in Muntinlupa City to accommodate buses from Southern Luzon and Bicol. – Rappler.com