These will complement the existing train line, which has been facing issues such as limited trainsets.
On Friday, October 9, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced that Secretary Giovanni Lopez has ordered the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) to study the possible issuance of special permits for buses along the route traversed by Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2).
Specifically, these buses will ply the line, which stretches Recto, Manila in the west to Antipolo, Rizal in the western end, to augment services during breakdowns and when it is overcrowded.
The bus route neing considered will run from Antipolo station to Recto station, vice-versa, with designated stopping points at LRT-2 stations.
Part of the ongoing review are operational arrangements, alignment with existing franchising and regulatory requirements, and fares.
“Mula po sa DOTr at LRTA, humihingi po kami ng paumanhin sa ating mga mananakay na naaapektuhan,” said Lopez days after a recent incident of a catenary wire being struck by lightning caused services to be limited between Recto and Araneta Center-Cubao stations on September 22.
“Nauunawaan po namin ang hirap na dinaranas ng ating mga komyuter na sumasakay sa LRT-2. Kaya naman inatasan po natin ang LTFRB at LRTA na mag-coordinate para sa panukalang pag-i-isyu ng special permits sa mga bus para may masakyan ang ating mga pasahero habang tinutugunan natin ang kakulangan sa bilang ng tren,” the transport chief added.
According to the DOTr, together with the LRTA, they are also taking measures now to increase capacity by procuring new trainsets, although that would take at least three years before these can be delivered.
Currently, there are only ten trains servicing the line, which has been seeing increasing ridership in recent years. Although, only eight of those are operational, with one undergoing a Train Operating Control Panel upgrade, while the other is undergoing repair works.
