Traffic Problem in the Philippines.

            In the Philippines the bus transport system has been singled out as the main culprit in causing traffic congestion because of its inefficiency.  The problem is more complicated because social and economic issues are involved creating a tangled mess that threatens the development and progress that our cities are experiencing.

Photo taken from Google

Overview of the Problem

        There are 316,345 vehicles per day that are travelling through EDSA Highway as of May 2009, of which 12,689 are buses and where 46% of these  have no authority all fighting for a share in commuter ridership for the same route. With little or no regulation from the government in the past and with profits dwindling because of the competition, bus companies react by fielding more buses to increase their chances of partaking in the commuter ridership consequently filling the city with more buses. The problem was left unattended and has grown complex. As a result the buses themselves become another source of traffic congestion; an outcome that ironically contradicts its usefulness as a mass transport system.

Photo taken from Google

 Because of the bus’ “self-inflicted” inefficiency commuter disenfranchisement has risen, forcing most would-be commuters to use their cars as a compromise to the inevitable traffic jams brought about by the bus over supply. The increased presence of cars on the road only worsens the traffic congestion creating a tangled problem that locks both the bus operators and the private car riding public in a mess that both are contributory.

    To decongest the roads, a substantial number of cars should be removed from using the streets. To accomplish this, the buses need to be organized and efficiently managed. This will attract people to ride the bus again, drastically reducing their reliance on using their own cars.

-Innovensy