From just three routes when it started free rides on 18 March to medical frontliners, the Free Ride for Health Programs of the Department of Transportation (DoTr) will serve 20 routes starting tomorrow, 13 April.
The free ride service now operates inside Metro Manila and nearby provinces such as Bulacan, Cavite and Laguna.
Below is the updated list of expanded routes of the DOTr Free Rode for Health Workers Program:
Route 1: Meralco, Malanday to United Doctors Medical Center
Route 2: Valenzuela Gateway Complex to United Doctors Medical Center
Route 3: SM City SJDM to Centris Station
Route 4: SM Masinag to The Medical City Ortigas
Route 5: Ortigas Hospital and Healthcare Center to Rizal Medical Center
Route 6: MRT 3 Cubao to Philippine General Hospital via MRT 3 Centris Station
Route 7: Pasig City General Hospital to Makati Medical Center
Route 7A: The Medical City (Ortigas) to VRP Medical Center
Route 8: Starmall Alabang to St. Luke’s Medical Center – BGC
Route 9: Vista Mall Daang Hari to United Doctors Medical Center
Route 10: RITM to Starmall Alabang
Route 11: Starmall Alabang to Manila Doctors Hospital
Route 12: Dasmariñas Pala-Pala to Manila Doctor’s Hospital
Route 13: Daang Hari/Aguinaldo Highway to Starmall Alabang
Route 14: SM City Taytay to St. Luke’s Medical Center – QC
Route 15: SLEX Sucat Exit to Philippine General Hospital
Route 16: SM City San Mateo to Robinsons Galleria
Route 17: SM City SJDM to SM Fairview
Route 18: Baclaran to Monumento
Route 19: First Cabuyao Hospital and Medical Center to Starmall Alabang
Route 20: SM City Masinag to Lawton
The free ride service now operates 24/7 on two two shifts. The DOTr has partnered with Sakay.PH and Google for the integration of its routes in the Sakay PH website and Google Maps. Through this, routes within NCR and nearby local government units (LGUs) can now be searched at the sakay.ph website as well as through its app, and at Google Maps — making the free transport services easily accessible for medical frontliners.
To date, the DOTr Free Ride for Health Workers Program operates a total of 186 PUV units, which consist of buses and vans.
The Department has also extended its free ride operations to medical frontliners residing in Regions 1, 2, 3, 4-A, 4-B, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, CAR, and CARAGA. This is through its agencies, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
As of 10 April 2020, the initiative was able to ferry 134,912 medical workers — combined figures of medical workers ferried from Metro Manila, and other regions covered.
Recently, the DOTr has partnered with oil companies Phoenix Petroleum, CleanFuel, Total Philippines, Seaoil and Petron Corporation to provide fuel subsidies to bus units participating in the free ride program.
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