THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) started operations today to apprehend EDSA bus lane violators as today also marks the first day of implementation of hiked penalties for those who will be caught entering the restricted bus lane.
As of 7 am today, the MMDA said it had already apprehended a total of 151 vehicles, a combination of both four-wheeled, mostly private and unmarked vehicles, including two-wheeled (motorcycles) vehicles.
The operations were conducted in three locations: Emergency Bay area on the northbound side fronting SM Megamall, in Cubao, Quezon City (northbound) in front of the Baliwag Transit terminal, and at Magallanes going towards Taft Avenue in Manila.
The agency already increased fines and penalties for EDSA bus lane violations from the original P1,000. Under MMDA Regulation No 23-002, the new fine will be P5,000 for the first offense, P10,000 for the second, including one-month suspension of the driver’s license and participation in a road safety seminar.
For a third offense, the fine will be P20,000 plus one-year suspension of driver’s license, while a fourth offense will merit a P30,000 fine, plus a recommendation for the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to revoke the driver’s license of the offender.
Since January up to November 10 of this year, the MMDA had already apprehended a total of 11,571 EDSA bus lane violators, with July registering the biggest number of violators with 4,395 apprehended.
The EDSA Bus Lane is exclusive for the use of public utility vehicles, ambulances, including marked government vehicles responding to emergencies.