Public transportation in Metro Manila and nearby provinces Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal will resume on Wednesday, August 19, as quarantine restrictions are eased anew.

On Wednesday, a total of 306 routes in Metro Manila will be opened, to be served by the approved number of units by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB):

• 31 routes by 3,662 public utility buses
• 33 routes by 364 point-to-point (P2P) buses
• 51 routes by 1,621 UV Express shuttles
• 45 routes by 716 modern public utility vehicles (PUV)

Jeepney routes, meanwhile, are being updated by the LTFRB regularly:

• 97 routes by 10,148 jeepneys on Wednesday, August 19
• 26 routes and 2,295 jeepneys on Thursday, August 20
• 23 more routes by 1,333 jeepneys on Wednesday, August 26

Some of these lines extend to nearby provinces in the Greater Mega Manila Area (GMMA).

The map made by the LTFRB shows the routes opened for the general community quarantine, which form part of the PUV Modernization Program of the Department of Transportation.

To use the map, click a line. The pop-up will show relevant information on the route, such as the mode of transportation, the route code and name, as well as the memorandum circular that allowed the opening of the said line.

To navigate, use the plus sign (+) to zoom in and the minus sign (-) to zoom out.

The colors represent the following modes:

• Black – bus routes
• Red – P2P routes
• Green – UV Express routes
• Orange – jeepney routes
• Blue – modern PUV routes

Inside a public utility vehicle, commuters are required to wear face shields on top of masks. PUVs must operate at half its capacity.

As the LTFRB has yet to finalize the route rationalization plan for the capital region, LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra III said previous routes not yet operational are still being reviewed.

The LTFRB said the map will be updated when new routes are announced.

Meanwhile, travel by bus to and from other provinces outside GMMA is still not allowed, as some local officials are still apprehensive about opening their borders to Metro Manila, said Delgra.

“We already met with the umbrella organization of the locally elected officials and a number of LGUs (local government units). [They] are still not open to opening their borders at this point in time,” Delgra told reporters.

Apart from PUVs, railway lines, taxis, and transport network vehicle services will resume operations on Wednesday.

Metro Manila remains the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, with close to 28,000 active cases as of Monday, August 17.

Nationwide, total cases reached 169,213 on Tuesday, with active cases inching to more than 50,000. More than 112,000 people have already recovered from the disease. – Rappler.com