The pandemic task force gave the Department of Transportation the green light to allow more passengers on board public transportation as an answer to rising fuel costs.

Starting November 4, the DOTr said that the capacity of mass transportation will be increased to 70% and will cover Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, and Laguna.

What does this mean? Road Transportation Assistant Secretary Steve Pastor said that traditional jeepneys that can carry 20 passengers pre-pandemic will now be allowed additional five passengers on board by November 4.

Department of Transportation

For modern jeepneys, standing passengers would be allowed.

The DOTr is also retracting its earlier requirement for plastic barriers in separating passengers.

“Maari na po itong tanggalin ng ating mga drivers at operators dahil walang medical findings, sa ang aming pag-aaral, na ito ay makakapagpa-iwas sa COVID19. Bagkus, ito ay pwede pang kabitan ng virus,” said Pastor.

(Our drivers and operators can start removing the plastic barriers because there are no medical findings, based on our research, that these could prevent the transmission of COVID-19. Rather, the virus could stick on it.)

Standing passengers will also be allowed for buses. But for buses that have five seats per row, the DOTr said that fewer standing passengers should be allowed.

Department of Transportation

For a 60-seater bus, only five standing passengers are allowed, while a 49-seater bus can have 10 more passengers.

Railways Undersecretary Timothy John Batan said that talking and eating will still not be allowed inside trains.

Department of Transportation

Pastor said that the traffic agencies will help the DOTr ensure that drivers and operators comply with the hike in passengers.

In an earlier press statement on Friday, the DOTr said that the passenger increase will be piloted for “one month.” Eventually, full capacity will be allowed.

With the increase in seating capacity in mass transportation, it appears that a fare hike is already out of the question. Transport groups earlier said that in lieu of a fare hike, the government should hike the seating capacity of jeepneys.

The government also approved P1 billion for fuel subsidies to drivers.

Earlier, the DOTr said it conducted a “rapid analysis” of COVID-19 cases and public transportation capacity in 10 countries in the Asia Pacific, including the Philippines.

In a recent study cited by DOTr, the Vietnam case showed that Hanoi was able to sustain its regular bus ridership, with all passengers wearing face masks with some using hand sanitizers.

Medical experts around the world have also pointed out that ventilation is just as important as wearing masks to reduce the risk of airborne infections.

Experts have noted that reopening the economy will be difficult if workers cannot go to workplaces safely. For now, Metro Manila will still be placed under Alert Level 3 until November 14 despite the decrease in daily COVID-19 cases. – Rappler.com