Government agencies, transport groups push RFID implementation

TRANSPORT officials and other stakeholders pushed the implementation of the radio frequency identification (Rfid) project of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in a public hearing conducted by the House of Representatives.

The House Committee on Metro Manila Development, chaired by Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino Rep. Toby Tiangco of Navotas conducted the public hearing to discuss solutions to the growing traffic as well as the colorum problem in the metropolis.

During the hearing that was attended by officials from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, LTO, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Department of Transportation and Communications  as well as transport group leaders, the committee was unanimous in pushing for the use of modern electronic identification technology to address these problems and establish order on the streets. 

“We need to use existing technology that has been proven to work in more developed countries like Singapore, Malaysia, the United States and Europe,” Tiangco said.

“We can no longer simply rely on human enforcement of our traffic and transport rules and regulations. If the technology is already there, we should use it as soon as possible,” Tiangco added.

For his part, Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino Rep. JV Ejercito of San Juan, who was appointed chairman of a Technical Working Group to study the traffic and colorum problem, said that as a former mayor of San Juan, he understands the problem of over supply of buses and other public-utility vehicles mainly caused by the proliferation of colorum vehicles.

At present, Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, the metropolis’s main thoroughfare has a capacity of only 1,600 buses and yet there are 3,600 buses plying this road everyday. 

“The first order of the day should be to remove colorum buses and other PUVs on Edsa. Initially I propose that we use Radio Frequency Identification (Rfid) or similar technologies used in other countries like Singapore. I strongly believe that this is the only way to weed out the colorums and illegal PUVs on Edsa,” Ejercito said.

Tiangco said that the study and review of the system used in Singapore to determine if this is applicable in our present set up or is acceptable in the local system will be part of the Technical Working Group’s responsibility. –Jojo Perez / Correspondent, Businessmirror