WITH diesel close to P100 per liter and crude oil at over $100 a barrel (and trending upward), unless government acts decisively, many public transport drivers and operators may soon suspend operations to avoid losses.
Government cannot keep fares at current levels without providing financial support to transport operators. It is not reasonable for the public transport industry to absorb losses in order to keep services running.
Because public transport is an essential service (much like health and education), it cannot be allowed to erode or disappear. The consequences for commuters and larger society of no public transport would be devastating. If fares are not adjusted, government should provide a subsidy to cover the expected losses of transport operators. A subsidy for public transport is entirely justified and urgently needed.
One way to provide the subsidy is through an arrangement called net cost service contracting. While still collecting fares, transport operators are provided with a per-kilometer fee to enable operators to cover costs and make a reasonable profit; performance is monitored by GPS tracking to ensure that services are delivered.
Service contracting (already implemented in recent years) will require an appropriation of public funds — either at a national or local government level. A meaningful service contracting budget should, therefore, be included in forthcoming national and local government budgets.
In addition, government systems and procedures should be streamlined so that transport operators can receive the service contract payments without waiting for weeks.
Public roads are arguably the country’s most valuable asset. Roads should be placed at the service of all Filipinos, instead of mainly the 6 percent of Filipinos who own cars. Up until now, national roads, under the control of the Department of Public Works and Highways, have been designed and managed in order to facilitate the flow of private motor vehicles, without much consideration for the travel needs or safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport users.
This is a fundamental anomaly that needs to be corrected. There should be a clear directive from the highest levels of government that roads should serve primarily the majority who are not car owners. National agencies and local government units should be instructed that walking, cycling, and public transport deserve priority on all urban roads, in line with the directives under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.
There should be no hesitation from any quarter for the conversion of a mixed traffic lane into a sidewalk, a bicycle lane or a dedicated lane for public transport.
Motorists and commuters, faced with rising prices, will be seeking low-cost means of travel. Some will want to shift from using private motor vehicles to public transport. It will, therefore, be important to expand public transport capacity in a significant way. Public spending should fund additional public transport vehicles and infrastructure. Buses and modern jeepneys can be purchased by a public or private entity, and leased long-term to transport coops or public transport operators.
In addition to dedicated lanes for public transport, there is a need for well-designed public transport stops, stations, terminals and depots.
Public transport capacity has diminished because buses and jeepneys are constantly stuck in traffic. This damaging trend can be reversed by liberating public transport from congested roads. Where possible, dedicated lanes for public transport should be created from the existing road network so that buses, jeepneys, and UV Express can move efficiently and achieve reliable travel times.
The EDSA Busway is a great example of the benefits of high-capacity public transport moving with efficiency on an exclusive lane; because the EDSA Busway has huge potential for capacity expansion in a relatively short period of time (and at much less cost compared to rail), it should be a top public investment priority. Investment in new buses, stations and depots will deliver early relief for weary commuters. (The current zero budget allocation for the EDSA Busway in the 2027 National Budget is therefore an enormous mistake.)
Some streets can be designated as permanently car-free — exclusively for school/office shuttles, public transport, walking and cycling — to achieve a higher throughput of people. Public roads would become more productive. Cities can also experiment with making rush hours (say, 6:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) totally car-free to enable those on foot, bicycles, shared transport and public transport to move around during those hours without encountering road congestion.
By liberating public transport from traffic, buses and jeepneys would be able to have more round trips, carry more passengers and earn more revenue. This will translate into profitable public transport operations.
Walking and cycling should also become safe and convenient travel options. In our current economic environment, millions of Filipinos would walk or cycle daily to their destinations if the infrastructure were conducive and safe. Because active transport infrastructure is deficient in most places, government should prioritize investments in walking and cycling infrastructure to make them attractive and fully accessible for persons with disability. To combat climate change and the urban heat island effect (more spaces paved with asphalt or concrete, making our cities warmer), sidewalk improvement should include planting of native shade trees and greenery to make neighborhoods cooler and to absorb excessive rainfall that could cause flooding.
Because active transport projects are not complex, tangible results can be delivered in 12-18 months. The side benefit of improved active transport infrastructure is the positive impact on public health as Filipinos adopt more active lifestyles. More people walking and on bicycles also make our streets safer; “more eyes on the street” serve as a deterrent for crime.
In summary, our emergency response should enable more Filipinos to access lower cost, sustainable travel options and reduce the country’s consumption of fossil fuels. While the Philippines confronts a mobility emergency, we can use the crisis to reshape travel behavior and transform our urban environment to make it more livable, healthy, and productive.
Robert Y. Siy is a development economist, city and regional planner, and public transport advocate. He is Co-Convenor of the Move As One Coalition. He can be reached at mobilitymatters.ph@yahoo.com or followed on X @RobertRsiy