Driver used EDSA bus lane 309 times since 2024

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June 16, 2025 | 4:06pm

MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) flagged a motorist who was recorded using the EDSA busway 309 times since August 2024—a record violation that went unnoticed until last week.

MMDA Chairman Don Artes mentioned the case as an example during the launch of the agency’s updated No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP) website, using it as a key example of the system’s usefulness.

“From August last year to just last Friday, one car—309 times—they went on the EDSA busway. Imagine: 309 times,” Artes said in Filipino during the June 13 launch of "May Huli Ka" website.

The MMDA only saw the 309 violations on Friday, June 13. 

All of the incidents occurred at night, said Artes, who speculated that the driver likely thought they wouldn’t be caught due to poor visibility and the absence of enforcers after dark.

The infractions happened even when traffic was smooth, suggesting that the driver used the restricted lane not simply to bypass congestion.

What it will cost. The MMDA has filed a complaint with the Land Transportation Office (LTO), seeking the revocation of the driver’s license.

Under the NCAP, a first offense carries a penalty of P5,000. The second offense draws a P10,000 fine and a one-month suspension of the driver’s license. Third and fourth violations are fined P20,000 and P30,000, respectively.

Counting only the nine times the driver's violations were recorded through the NCAP, Artes estimated that the driver faced at least P150,000 in fees. 

Artes underscored that without NCAP’s digital monitoring, the agency would not have had the capacity to catch habitual violators.