WITH San Miguel Corp. (SMC) soon taking over the reins of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), I am hoping that its plans include measures for easing motor vehicle traffic on roads leading to the country's most important international gateway. Social media is full of horror stories of missed flights and of hour-long traffic just to exit the NAIA airport compound. This is not the first impression of the country that we would like to offer any visitor.
The solution does not lie in building more parking garages or in widening the elevated expressway leading to the airport. Such measures only attract further car use and exacerbate the already severe traffic around NAIA. The durable solution is to offer efficient, affordable and reliable transportation options so that people will not depend on a private motor vehicle to get to the airport. While the Metro Manila Subway, which is under construction, will include a service to NAIA, it may still take six to eight years before it is operational. Earlier relief is required. Below are a few recommendations.
First, passengers should have alternatives to the costly and often insufficient coupon and yellow airport taxis (that charge "monopoly" rates when arriving passengers have no other option). Ordinary taxis and transportation network vehicle services (TNVS) like Grab should be given equal prominence at arrival areas, with special sections of the airport reserved for regular taxi queuing and for TNVS pickup.
To give visitors confidence to use regular taxis, visitor assistance personnel could be posted at the taxi queuing area to advise passengers regarding expected fares for particular destinations and to provide each passenger with emergency assistance phone numbers. As an additional security measure, there should be video recordings of the passengers boarding every taxi to discourage cheating and harassment by drivers.
Second, airports should have safe access for pedestrians and bicycles. Cycling should be promoted as one of the options for getting to and from NAIA, especially for those traveling light. Roads leading to the airport need protected bike lanes and spacious sidewalks. There also needs to be secure bicycle parking and changing rooms/showers at the airport. Bike lockers will encourage travelers to park their bikes and ride. Already, many airport workers use bicycles to get to NAIA; many more will do the same if safe bike lanes were available, together with convenient bike parking and "end-of-trip" facilities.
Third, every international airport needs to have a convenient airport bus service, ready to handle arriving passengers with luggage. When the Premium Airport Bus services were first launched by the Department of Transportation in 2016, the government intended to replicate the popular airport limousine bus services that you find at Incheon airport in Seoul and at the Narita/Haneda airports in Tokyo. In these cities, airport buses are dispatched every 20–30 minutes with the buses dropping by major hotels and terminals in different districts (from where passengers can then catch other transport services for their onward journeys). The same buses pick up passengers headed for the airport. The reliability and high frequency of the airport buses, and their round-the-clock operation make these services very convenient. Before the pandemic, the Tokyo airport limousine buses made over 1,200 trips per day. In pre-pandemic South Korea, there were over 250 bus routes emanating from Incheon involving over 6,000 bus trips daily (including charter buses).
The demand for NAIA's Premium Airport Buses has not grown much since 2016 because the services have been both infrequent and unreliable. There are just seven Premium Airport Bus routes from the airport: NAIA to Robinsons Santa Rosa; NAIA to Araneta City, Cubao; NAIA to Robinsons Place Manila; NAIA to Ayala South Park; NAIA to Victory Liner-Pasay; NAIA to PITX; and NAIA to Robinsons Galleria, departing at one- to three-hour intervals. This is woefully insufficient and inconvenient because of the long intervals. Accordingly, NAIA's airport bus services need to be significantly expanded. New routes should be opened and additional buses authorized.
If a frequent airport bus service is available (buses departing every 20–30 minutes), it will be an attractive option for both domestic and international tourists. Instead of taking a private car to get to the airport, one can instead go to a nearby mall, major hotel or terminal and catch the premium airport bus from there. There will also be fewer private vehicles congesting the roads leading to NAIA.
Fourth, to discourage travel to NAIA by private car, it is time to consider a congestion charge for private motor vehicles entering the roads surrounding the airport. Any private motor vehicle entering this "airport zone" or perimeter will have to pay a fee, which can be collected like a toll. Public transport (buses and taxis) will be exempt. The revenues can then be used to subsidize public transport services and infrastructure. With reduction in the vehicle traffic around NAIA, public transport will be able to operate more efficiently, predictably and profitably.
If we want to avoid recurring NAIA gridlock, prevent missed flights due to heavy traffic, give our visitors a positive first impression and have a world-class NAIA, we need an airport free of vehicle congestion at all times. It can happen with political will and strategic vision.
Robert Y. Siy is a development economist, city and regional planner, and public transport advocate. He is a co-convenor of the Move As One Coalition. He can be reached at mobilitymatters.ph@yahoo.com or followed on Twitter @RobertRsiy.
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