MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila mayors said on Thursday that they are in favor of the re-imposition of the number coding on public utility buses. But they also requested a careful and thorough study of the plan due to the pending fare hike of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) that alarms the public.

During the Metro Manila Council meeting, majority of the mayors and representatives aired their approval on the number-coding scheme for passenger buses. However, if the new fare hike on MRT would push through, buses might not be enough for the commuters.

Makati City Mayor Erwin Binay said commuters may opt to ride PUBs than shelling out more money for using the train line if the fare hike would be approved.

“I hope that concrete data will be presented for us (mayors) to have a better judgment on the inclusion of buses in color coding scheme. If the commuters would not afford the new rates, buses may not be enough to accommodate the commuters,” said Binay.