The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has directed regulatory agencies to evaluate issuing special permits for public utility buses (PUBs) to serve as a parallel transport option along the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) corridor.
Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez instructed the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) to coordinate on granting temporary operating authority to buses running the full length of the line, from Antipolo Station to Recto Station, with designated drop-off points at existing rail stations.
“On behalf of the DOTr and LRTA, we apologize to the affected passengers. We understand the hardships being experienced by commuters who use the LRT-2,” Lopez said. “That is why we have instructed the LTFRB and LRTA to coordinate on the proposed issuance of special permits for buses, ensuring our passengers have a means of transport while we address the shortage of trains.”
Joint technical working teams from the LTFRB and LRTA are currently finalizing operational logistics, regulatory compliance, route specifications, and passenger fare structures for the augmented road service, which is intended to absorb peak-hour passenger overflow and reduce platform queuing.
Meanwhile, transport authorities are seeking capital funding to procure new rolling stock. However, delivery and commissioning of fresh trainsets are expected to take at least three years.
The LRTA clarified that operational limit stem from fleet capacity constraints rather than track or system failures. Out of the railway’s 10-train inventory, only eight are currently operational, with one unit undergoing a Train Operating Control Panel upgrade and another undergoing maintenance repairs.