MANILA -- More public transportation modes will be allowed in areas where pandemic restrictions will be downgraded to a general community quarantine or GCQ, the government said Friday.

From June 1 to 21, permitted train and bus augmentation units, taxis, ride-hailing cars, point-to-point buses, shuttle services and bicycles will be allowed to operate a limited capacity, the Department of Transportation said in a statement.

Tricycles will be allowed subject to approval of local government units while provincial buses are still barred from entering Metro Manila, it said.

For the second phase, which will run from June 22 to June 30, public utility buses, modern jeepneys and UV express vans will be allowed to operate, the agency said.

"In the adoption of these guidelines in areas under GCQ, there will be two phases to be executed for allowing the operation of the different modes of public transportation," the DOTr said in an advisory.

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The agency also reiterated the new normal protocols for the transport sector, which include:

• Mandatory wearing of face masks
• Use of cashless payments
• Use of thermal scanners
• Availability of alcohols and sanitizers in PUVs
• Disinfection of high-touch surfaces
• Establishment of disinfection facilities in terminals
• Contact tracing
• One meter social distance rule inside all PUVs

Automatic fare collection, cashless payments and electronic toll collection, will be employed to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19, the DOTr said.

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Online transactions are encouraged for licensing, registration and other documentary requirements, it said.

The DOTr is also eyeing a system in EDSA where there will be designated lanes for bikes as well as pedestrian crossing and bus boarding areas, it said.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday approved the COVID-19 task force recommendation to place Metro Manila under general community quarantine.

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