Commuters take note: public utility buses and jeepneys still won’t be allowed to operate even when the National Capital Region shifts to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) on June 1.

Reported by ABS-CBN News, MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia admitted that the decision was reached because monitoring buses and jeepneys for health and safety guidelines will be difficult. Per ABS-CBN News:

“Alam naman po natin ang jeep natin at bus ‘stop-and-go’ yan. Sasakay, magbababa so medyo mahirap po i-monitor hangga’t di pa natin nadidisiplina ang ating mga kababayan sa tamang pagsakay at pagbaba po,” Garcia said. 

(Our buses and jeepneys operate on a stop-and-go scheme. They pick-up and drop-off passengers so it’s difficult to monitor because we have yet to discipline our countrymen on how to properly ride public transport.)

That said, P2P (Point-to-Point) buses, taxis, ride-hailing services (TNVS), and tricycles will be allowed to resume operations under GCQ. Together with the implementation of a modified number coding scheme, and the rail system reduced to just 10-13 percent of peak capacity, GCQ will be commuting hell for workers.