The Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (i-ACT), a group composed of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), PNP-Highway Patrol Group (HPG), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Land Transportation Office (LTO), and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), will deploy 140 buses amid the maintenance shutdown of the MRT-3 to ensure the mobility of commuters in Metro Manila in observance of the Holy Week.

Starting April 15 to 17 (Holy Monday to Holy Wednesday) and April 20 to 21 (Black Saturday to Easter Sunday), commuters will be provided a shuttle assistance of Public Utility Buses (PUBs) from 5AM to 9PM, following the MRT-3 route both north- and southbound.

All participating bus units will be particularly identified with proper signage. Meanwhile, the north and south staging areas will be located at West Avenue corner EDSA, Quezon City, and Roxas Boulevard corner EDSA, Pasay City, respectively.

Bus fares will be based on the MRT-3 Fare Matrix provided that the passenger’s destination is anywhere along the MRT-3 line. However, destinations beyond the line will follow the normal bus fares.

The details of the MRT-3 Bus Augmentation Program were finalized during the recent meeting of government agencies, together with various bus operators and companies at the LTFRB Central Office in Quezon City.

The concerned agencies, in close coordination with the DOTr Railways Sector, convened to provide commuters with an alternative mode of transportation during the MRT’s week-long maintenance shutdown. Traffic management during the implementation of the MRT-3 Bus Augmentation Program will be handled by the MMDA and i-ACT personnel.

The Holy Week shutdown, scheduled this year from Holy Monday, April 15, to Easter Sunday, April 21, is programmed with maintenance activities that require a longer suspension of operations due to the current degraded condition of the railway.

Some of the major works to be conducted include the replacement of critical turnouts or switches, rail grinding, structural testing, topographic survey and monitoring plan activities for MRT-3 structures.

Preventive and repair activities aim to improve the reliability of the system, which the agency shall implement in parallel with the comprehensive rehabilitation and overhaul of the entire MRT-3 system.

The MRT-3 operations will resume on April 22.