What is the LTFRB Looking For in a P2P Bus?

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) recently announced that it is opening 28 new Premium Point-to-Point (P2P) Bus Service routes for interested operators. All 28 routes are distributed through 16 franchise packages, with each package being awarded to one applicant.

To be a Premium P2P operator though, the LTFRB has a stringent set of requirements for the buses to be fielded on the 28 routes, and these are:

Bus Body Make

1. Single deck or double deck (11 to 13 meters in length);
2. With external color/branding as specified by the Board;
3. Euro IV or better emission standard or clean alternative fuel (e.g. electric, hybrid) with equivalent or better emissions;
4. Low floor entry (0.28 to 0.38 meters) with space for one passenger with wheelchair, plus foldable or retractable wheelchair, plus foldable or retractable wheelchair ramp at exit;
5. Provincial buses shall use coaches with at least 11 meters in length with provision for cargo compartments; and
6. Maximum of four reclining seats per row.

Operating Conditions

1. Service with scheduled trips and designated off-street stops for loading/unloading passengers;
2. No loading/unloading of passengers outside of designated off-street stops;
3. With onboard CCTV, four cameras, continuous recording of minimum past 72 hours of bus operations;
4. With vehicle tracking via onboard Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) devices compliant with the Board’s specifications and driver console enabling two-way communication;
5. With free Wi-Fi for all passengers;
6. With onboard automated bus arrival electronic display and announcement system;
7. With Automatic Fare Collection System as one of the options for payment;
8. Speed limiter;
9. Drivers under salary, with no compensation linked to ridership, but with incentives for better customer service and reduction of accidents;
10. With advanced ticketing facility and seat booking via mobile phone and internet;

Beyond this list, the LTFRB expects the prospective P2P operator to have a sufficient layover area/garage to accomodate all units, with a space provision of at least 40 sqm per unit plus 30 percent of garage area for circulation. Furthermore, if the prospective P2P operator is already running a fleet of buses, the area for the P2P bus units should be over and above the existing garage/depot space of the current bus fleet.

Also, the maximum headway–the time between each dispatched vehicles on the same route—one year after start of operations is 10 minutes during peak hours and 30 minutes during off-peak hours. During interim operations, the maximum headway is 30 minutes during peak hours and one hour during off-peak hours, subject to actual passenger demand.

Source From:https://www.carmudi.com.ph/journal/what-is-the-ltfrb-looking-for-in-a-p2p-bus/