The Department of Transportation announced easing of social distancing rules in public transport starting Sept. 14 after the COVID-19 task force approved its proposal in order to increase commuters.
The DOTr said in a proposal to the task force that physical distancing could be adjusted to 0.75 meters from 1 meter given that health protocols such as the use of face masks and face shields are already being enforced.
It can then be adjusted to 0.5 meters and later to 0.3 meters to “allow optimization of ridership,” it said.
The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has approved the proposal pushed by the Economic Development Cluster (EDC) and DOTr to reduce the physical distance between commuters, the agency said in an advisory.
“There is a need to safely optimize the carrying capacity of the various public transport modes as Metro Manila and its adjacent areas continue with the transition towards the “new normal” where more workers are expected to return to their re-opened work places and more businesses are expected to resume operations that were stopped during the enforcement of strict quarantine measures,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.
Upon implementation, capacity of railway lines per trainset with reduced physical distancing will be as follows:
For railway lines, the expected increase in passenger capacity is supported by data based on physical simulation. Below is the “Adjusted Passenger Capacity of Railway Lines Based on Reduced Physical Distancing” per trainset:
LRT-1
- 1-meter: 155
- 0.75-meter: 204
- 0.5-meter: 255
- 0.3-meter: 300
LRT-2
- 1-meter: 160
- 0.75-meter: 212
- 0.5-meter: 274
- 0.3-meter: 502
MRT-3
- 1-meter: 153
- 0.75-meter: 204
- 0.5-meter: 255
- 0.3-meter: 286
PNR
- 1-meter: 166
- 0.75-meter: 184
- 0.5-meter: 256
- 0.3-meter: 320
Increase in passenger capacity for roll-on, roll-off passenger vehicles:
- 1-meter: 50%
- 0.75-meter: 75%
- 0.5-meter: 85%
- 0.3-meter: 100%
For jeepneys and buses, reducing physical distancing means standing passengers “may be accommodated,” the DOTr said.
