House Deputy Speaker and Batangas 6th district Rep. Ralph Recto is calling on authorities to field more buses to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) from pick-up points like malls and a carousel system that will link NAIA’s terminals.
Recto, in a statement Saturday, Feb. 25, said the proposal to deploy more buses to NAIA are inexpensive “low-hanging fruits like curbside improvements”.
“Kung kaya nating umutang ng P356 bilyon at hukayin ang ilalim ng lupa para sa isang subway, siguro naman mas madali ang pag-deploy ng maraming bus (If we can borrow P356 billion and dig the earth for a subway, then I guess deploying additional buses is easier),” Recto said.
Recto said government should bring affordable mass transportation at NAIA’s doors, “and in the absence of trains, buses are the next best choice”.
In the Philippines, taxis–although potentially expensive–are the easiest way to get from point A to B once land at the airport, particularly NAIA.
“Sa lahat ng airports sa buong mundo, ang buses ay bahagi ng isang integrated transportation system servicing an airport,” Recto said.
“This is so because an air passenger’s experience and comfort extend beyond an airport’s gate. The global trend in airport management is how to make it easier and faster for people to go to an airport,” he noted.
He said the choices of an arriving air passenger should not be limited to taxis and other vehicles-for-hire. “If we have liberalized the air industry, then we should do the same for land transportation to and from the airport.”
The former Senate President pro tempore said government should bring affordable mass transportation at NAIA’s doors, “and in the absence of trains, buses are the next best choice”.
He said that in all parts of the world, buses are part of the integrated transportation system servicing an airport.
“This is so because an air passenger’s experience and comfort extend beyond an airport’s gate. The global trend in airport management is how to make it easier and faster for people to go to an airport,” Recto said.
He said the choices of an arriving air passenger should not be limited to taxis and other vehicles-for-hire.
“If we have liberalized the air industry, then we should do the same for land transportation to and from the airport,” the House leader further said.
