Drug, roadworthiness tests at bus terminals as PH readies for Undas 2026

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Authorities carried out drug and alcohol tests on provincial bus drivers and tested buses for roadworthiness at several terminals in Metro Manila ahead of the expected deluge of passengers leaving town for Undas 2026.

With a few days to go before the Undas properly begins at the weekend, many people are already at the bus terminals, having decided to leave to beat the bulk of the holiday rush.

In Mark Salazar's report on Saksi on Monday, Samantha Pilapil was among the passengers waiting to board the bus to Masbate at a terminal in Cubao, Quezon City.

"Kaya ako bumiyahe nang maaga kasi ayoko pong makisiksik sa maraming tao," she said, cradling one-year-old child on her lap.

(I'm traveling early because I don't want to squeeze in with the crowds.)

Some buses were also stopped from traveling due to deficiencies, with passengers having to disembark to move to another bus.

According to the Land Transportation Office (LTO), 51 out of 52 passenger buses passed the roadworthiness inspection conducted at the terminals in Manila, Parañaque and Caloocan City. The lone failure didn't pass due to a broken reverse light and plate light, and an expired fire extinguisher. The driver was instructed to have the defects repaired and the expired fire extinguisher replaced before traveling again.

NAIA preps

Meanwhile, the country's gateway NAIA is preparing for an estimated 1.25 million passengers during the Undas travel period from Oct. 27 to Nov. 4, with airport authorities projecting Oct. 30 to be the busiest day.

In a news release, New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), the airport operator, said it expects passenger traffic during the nine-day period to increase by 1% from the 1.24 million recorded during the same period last year. About 149,000 travelers are expected to pass through the airport on Oct. 30 alone.

To manage the holiday rush, NNIC said it would deploy additional personnel, strengthen security and passenger assistance services, and maintain round-the-clock monitoring of airport operations. — BM, GMA News