Bus Lane Policy

I. Background

A bus lane or bus only lane is a lane restricted to buses, often on certain days and times, and
generally used to speed up public transport that would be otherwise held up by traffic congestion.
Certain other vehicles may also be permitted, such as taxis, high occupancy vehicles,
motorcycles, or bicycles. Bus lanes are a key component of a high-quality bus rapid
transit (BRT) network.

The related terms busway and bus gate describe a roadway all of whose lanes are restricted to
buses or authorized vehicles. By contrast, a dedicated bus lane may occupy only part of a
roadway which also has lanes serving general automotive traffic.

II. History

The first bus lanes in Europe were established in 1963 in the German city of Hamburg, when
the tram system was closed and the former segrated tram tracks were converted for bus travel.
Other large German cities soon followed, and the implementation of bus lanes was officially
sanctioned in the German highway code in 1970. Many experts from other countries
(Japan among the first) studied the German example and implemented similar solutions. On
January 15, 1964 the first bus lane in France was designated along the quai du
Louvre inParis and the first contraflow lane was established on the old pont de lAlma on June
15, 1966.

III.

Advantages and Disadvantages

As buses are more efficient carriers of commuters, with a higher number of passengers per unit
road space as compared to other vehicles such as cars, it is necessary to give priority to buses so
that more commuters reach their destinations on time. For instance, a single-deck bus can carry
80 people versus an average of 53 cars required to carry the same number of people.

Bus lanes are a practical way to do this. They can carry an order of magnitude more people than
a general traffic lane (see image below), and help achieve social equity objectives by ensuring
that non-drivers are able to use a fair share of public road space, and helping physically,
economically and socially disadvantaged people access economic opportunities.

Although a single bus lane may seem to provide only modest direct benefits, an integrated bus
lane network implemented with other pro-transit policies can be the fastest and most costeffective way of creating more multimodal cities where travellers choose the most efficient mode
for each trip: walking and cycling for local errands, public transit when travelling on busy
corridors, and driving only when it is most efficient overall, considering all impacts.
Conventional traffic models tend to underestimate the impacts that high quality public transit
and transit-oriented development have on automobile ownership and use, and conventional
economic evaluation tends to overlook or undervalue many resulting benefits such as parking
cost savings, increased traffic safety, and reduced chauffeuring burdens.

Category

Indicator
s

Improved Transit
Service
Service
Quality (speed,
reliability, comfort,
safety, etc.)
Improved transit
operating efficiency

Pros

Increased Transit
Travel
Transit Ridership
(passenger-miles
or mode share)

Direct benefits to
new users

Improved bus
Increased fare
passenger travel speed revenue
and reliability
Option value (the
value of having
options that may
sometime be useful)

Increased public
fitness and health
(by stimulating
more walking or
cycling trips)

Equity benefits (since

existing users tend to
be disadvantaged)

Reduced
Automobile
Travel

Transit-Oriented
Development
(TOD)

Automobile Travel
Portion of
Reductions
Development With
TOD Design
Features
Reduced traffic and
parking
congestion, and
resulting facility
cost savings
Consumer savings
Reduced
chauffeuring
burdens
Increased traffic
safety
Energy
conservation

Additional vehicle
travel reductions
(leverage
effects)
Improved
accessibility,
particularly for
non-drivers
More efficient
development
(reduced
infrastructure
costs)
Farmland and
habitat
preservation

Air and noise

pollution
reductions
Higher construction
and enforcement costs
Cons

Increased congestion
in other lanes

More crowded
buses

Reduced
automobile
business activity

Various problems
associated with
denser
development

IV.

Implementation

Foreign
New York City
Bus lanes are travel lanes that are restricted to buses during certain hours of the day. All bus
lanes have signs posted along the route with specific regulations; lanes are marked "Bus Only"
and/or painted red. Bus lanes keep buses from getting stuck in traffic, making travel for bus
riders fast and reliable and improving the overall traffic flow of a corridor.

There are two types of bus lanes.

A curbside bus lane is a travel lane for buses at the curb. Parking and standing at the
curb are not permitted during the hours the bus lane is in effect.

An offset bus lane is a travel lane for buses one lane away from the curb. This makes
parking or standing at the curb still possible. Double parking, or stopping of any kind, is not
permitted in an offset bus lane.

Unauthorized vehicles may enter a bus lane only to make a right turn at the next city street, to
access a curb cut or driveway within 200, or to quickly drop off or pick up passengers.
You cannot pick-up or deliver goods in a bus lane during the hours it is in effect. Many curbside
bus lanes have mid-day hours where parking and deliveries are permitted, and many streets with
bus lanes have delivery space on an opposite curb, or on a cross street. You can use these hours
and locations for deliveries, or schedule the delivery before or after the bus lanes are in effect.
Bus Lane Cameras
New York State has authorized the City of New York to place cameras along bus lanes to catch
violators on selected corridors. Signs are posted along corridors where bus lane cameras are in
use to warn drivers to keep out of bus lanes, except for allowed right turns and passenger pickups or drop offs.
Police Enforcement

The New York Police Department regularly patrols bus lanes, and issues both moving violations
and parking violations to bus lane violators. New York City Transit workers can also enforce bus
lanes.

Implementation

Select Bus Service routes are implemented where they can benefit large numbers of people,
which are often some of the busiest parts on New York City. Public input is an important part of
project development as it helps to ensure that the right set of Select Bus Service treatments is
implemented in each neighborhood, taking into account both corridor travel needs as well as
local issues.

Off-board fare collection means that bus riders pay with a MetroCard or coins at a sidewalk
ticket vending machine at the Select Bus Service bus stop before they get on the bus. Riders may
then board the bus through any door, without needing to show the ticket to the bus operator. This
shortens the time the bus is stopped at the station substantially, compared to the traditional
method of entering one at a time through the front door. NYCT employs fare inspectors who may
randomly inspect tickets to ensure compliance; passengers without a ticket are subject to a $100
fare evasion summons.

Bus bulb stations are locations where sidewalks have been widened to meet an offset bus lane
or general travel lane. Bus bulbs provide more room for people to wait, provide more room for
amenities like bus shelters, benches, and greenery, and they allow buses to travel straight into
and out of the station without pulling over. These stations also have a high curb wherever
possible that will be near-level with the floor of the Select Bus Service buses, making it easier
and faster for all passengers to get on and off the bus.

Transit signal priority, uses GPS to track when a bus nears an intersection, and turns traffic
signals green sooner, or keeps them green longer, allowing the bus to keep moving through the
intersection and shortening the overall time of the bus trip. Implementing transit signal priority
also includes coordinating the traffic signals on the corridor for all vehicles, which improves
travel times for both buses and other traffic on the street.

Minimum bus stop spacing allows buses to travel faster by not having to stop very frequently.
Select Bus Service routes have a simple route pattern with stops farther apart than typical bus
routes, such as at major destinations or transfer points. Local buses will typically continue to
serve all stops.
Real time arrival information provides riders with how far away the next arriving bus is, as
provided by the MTA Bus Time system. Real-time information can be viewed on real-time signs
located at bus shelters and is available by cell phone or over the internet.

Upgraded signage on all routes will establish when the bus lanes are in effect. At a minimum,
this will include at least one sign per block, positioned for high visibility for motorists.
Additionally, large overhead signs will be located along the corridor to ensure that the rules of
the road are clear.

Pedestrian and driver safety is an important aspect of SBS design. Features such as neckdowns and pedestrian islands are used to shorten crosswalks and increase safety for pedestrians
while enhanced street organization improves safety for drivers, bikers, and pedestrians alike.

New bus shelters are installed by Cemusa, the citys bus shelter franchisee. Bus shelters are
installed at all Select Bus Service stations where physically feasible, with double shelters used
where possible.

Local
Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue or EDSA

Structure

The entire road itself is a part of the Circumferential Road 4 system, a network of roads and
bridges that acts as the fourth beltway for the City of Manila. The locations around the avenue
were marked with great economic and industrial growth, proven by the fact that all but 2
industrial centers in the Metropolis are directly accessible from the thoroughfare. The decent
economic growth of the areas around the avenue adds a significant volume of traffic on the
avenue, and in recent estimates, EDSA handles an average of 316,345 cars daily, and an average
of 2.34 million vehicles go through EDSA every day.

EDSA is a divided carriageway, often consisting of 12 lanes, 6 in either direction, with the
elevated railroad Manila Metro Rail Transit System often serving as its median. EDSA is not
an expressway, but traffic rules and speed limits are strictly implemented to the vehicles that pass
along it. It is operated by the Metro Manila Development Authority and is maintained and
constantly being repaired by the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Route description
EDSA starts from the Andres Bonifacio Monument (Monumento) Roundabout in
Gracepark, Caloocan, adjacent to the Apolonio Samson Road, the western side of the C-4 Road.
The roundabout is also the marker of the 1896 Revolution by Andres Bonifacio. The 1.7
kilometers of the road are in Caloocan. The Avenue will then enter Quezon City through the
Balintawak District, after an intersection with the North Luzon Expressway in the Balintawak
Cloverleaf Interchange.

Problem

Based on 2012 study, EDSA can only accommodate around 1,600 buses, but the World Bank
estimates that there are some 5,000 of them that travel through the thoroughfare on any given
day. Previous studies by the Department of Transportation and Communications and the
University of the Philippines National Center for Transportation Studies confirm an oversupply
of buses along EDSA, but only around 60 to 75%. This large number of public buses
contributes to a bigger utility volume which in turn causes traffic congestion.

Solution

Conceding the need to ease traffic congestion and reduce the incidence of road accidents along
Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue or EDSA, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has
formalized a memorandum to strictly implement the Bus or Yellow Lanes on Metro Manilas
main thoroughfares. The MMDA said the main cause of traffic jams and road accidents are
undisciplined bus drivers and passengers.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino signed the Memorandum Circular No. 08 Series of 2012,
directing all bus operators and drivers operating in Metro Manila to strictly follow roads/policies
of the agency on EDSA.

Yellow Bus Lane:

Provincial Buses

a)
ALL PROVINCIAL BUSES SHALL BE ON THE THIRD (3rd) LANE OF EDSA AND
SHALL BE ALLOWED TO TRAVERSE FLYOVERS.
b)
No provincial buses shall be allowed to enter the Tunnels (Aurora Blvd., P. Tuazon, Shaw
Blvd., and Ayala/Pasay Rd.) along EDSA, in which case should a third lane enter a tunnel,
provincial buses shall enter the 2nd lane (bus lane) at grade and return to 3rd lane after the tunnel.
c)
No provincial buses shall be allowed to load and unload along EDSA except on MMDAauthorized Provincial Bus stops: North Bound After Magallanes/ Dasmarinas Village, Ortigas
Avenue, Santolan MRT, Quezon Avenue, North Avenue (Trinoma): South Bound Otiveros
Drive Balintawak, Roosevelt Avenue, Munoz, West Avenue Quezon Avenue, Ortigas Venue
(POEA), After Taft Avenue.

City Buses

a)
City Buses will be dispatched sequentially on a FIRST IN FIRST OUT procedure from
MMDA-OBR terminals or centralized dispatching areas. Headway shall vary based on demand

along the corridor and/or time of the day. There will be spotters along EDSA to monitor
accumulation of waiting passengers.
b)
City buses shall only be allowed to load and unload at designated bus stops to be
enumerated below and shall strictly follow the Bus A for Bus A Loading/Unloading Bus Stations
and Bus B for Bus B Loading/Unloading Bus Stations.
c)
City Buses may load and unload at A and B Bus Stops, the duration of which depends on
demand but shall not exceed 25 seconds.
d)
First arriving bus must occupy the area nearest the marker Start of Loading/Unloading
Area. Succeeding buses must occupy the space immediately following the first bus.
Traffic Constables shall be assigned at the Designated Bus A and B Loading/Unloading Bus
Stations in order to strictly implement the 25 second maximum stop and first-in, first out of
buses.
e)
Absolutely NO Loading/Unloading at signalized intersections during green phase of the
traffic signal.
f)
CITY BUSES WHICH ARE NORTHBOUND SHALL BE ALLOWED TO USE THE
ORTIGAS FLYOVER IN GOING TO THEIR DESTINATION.

Private vehicles and other PUVs

a)
Jitneys, Mega Taxis, Taxis with no Passenger, and other yellow plate vehicles shall be on
the second (2nd) lane of the bus (yellow) lane.
b)

Taxis with passengers shall use the lanes for private vehicles.

c)
Private Vehicles may only enter the PUV lanes when making right turns to side roads of
EDSA or when entering EDSA from the side roads. There are appropriate markings for this
purpose.
d)
Loading/Unloading of passengers for private vehicles and other PUVs shall be allowed
inside the first lane of bus (yellow) lane except within 50 meters from nearest intersection and
the maximum duration of which shall not exceed 15 seconds.

Violations

1. Loading/Unloading in areas not specified as Loading and Unloading Zone- Fine: Five
Hundred Pesos (Php 500.00)

2. Failure to keep the Door/s closed in between designated stops- FINE: One Thousand Pesos
(Php 1, 000.00)
For buses with only 1 door Driver will pay the fine
For buses with 2 doors front door open- driver will pay the fine
back door open- conductor will pay the fine

3. For buses with defective door- FINE: One Thousand Pesos (Php 1,000.00) payable by the
owner.
b.) Private vehicles and taxis with passengers inside the bus (yellow) lanes except as provided in
3.0 of this MC- FINE: Five Hundred Pesos (Php 500.00) for violation of bus (yellow) lanes.
c.) PUBs outside the designated bus (yellow) lanes- FINE: Two Hundred Pesos (Php 200.00) for
violation of bus (yellow) lanes.
d.) Violation of Bus Segregation Scheme- FINE: One Thousand Pesos (Php 1,000.00)
e.) Abrupt Change of Lane (Reckless Driving) FINE: Five Hundred Pesos (Php 500.00)