Metropolitan Manila Transit Corporation


The Metropolitan Manila Transit Corporation was a government-owned and controlled corporation that operated as a transport company in Metro Manila, Philippines.
At its peak, MMTC operated several bus routes across Metro Manila. It was best known for its "Love Bus" service and double-decker bus routes.

History

After World War II, the pre-war tranvía streetcar system in Manila was left destroyed, leaving a gap in the city's public transport infrastructure that was subsequently filled by buses and jeepneys. Loose regulations, however, resulted in a fragmented public transportation system in Manila and its suburbs dominated by independent transport operators who competed against each another, resulting in inadequate services.

1970s to 1980s

During the martial law period under Ferdinand Marcos, efforts were made to address the problem, as Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 492 on June 27, 1974, which established a government-owned and controlled corporation called the Manila Transit Corporation. The MTC would serve the role of integrating all public transportation operations in the region under a single corporate entity, thereby streamlining services and eliminating the issues caused by the proliferation of independent transport operators. It was created with a capital stock of ₱10 million divided into 3 million shares. Of these shares, one million shares may be sold to individuals or entities operating public transport vehicles in Metro Manila.
On May 12, 1975, MMTC commenced its initial bus operations, introducing an ordinary bus service with a fleet of 30 units on the Monumento–Pasay Rotunda route.
On November 7, 1975, Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 824, establishing Metro Manila and the Metropolitan Manila Commission. Following this, on December 25, 1975, the MTC was renamed as the Metropolitan Manila Transit Corporation and its focus was expanded to cover the newly created metropolitan area through the issuance of Presidential Decree No. 860. The decree also exempted the MMTC from regulation under the Public Service Act.
On January 26, 1976, the Love Bus was launched by the MMTC. It was popularized as the first air-conditioned bus service in the country, as well as its strict observance of timetables. By May 1977, the Love Bus had carried over 5.34 million passengers, with a study in February 1976 reporting that 38 percent of passengers used to travel by private car or taxi, with many drawn to the service due to its clean, uncrowded, and air-conditioned buses.
On June 27, 1977, Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 1168, increasing MMTC's corporate stock to ₱25 million divided into 6 million shares. The number of shares was then increased to 26 million shares through the issuance of Presidential Decree No. 1465 on June 11, 1978. Around this time, the MMTC reportedly had over 2,500 bus drivers and conductresses and 491 employees in its administration and maintenance departments.
On July 23, 1979, Marcos issued Executive Order No. 546, creating the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and designating the MMTC as an attached agency of the MOTC.
By 1980, the MMTC shifted from its original role in monopolizing all public transport operations in Metro Manila to supporting private operators through integrating fewer but larger bus consortiums, acting as a government tool for achieving broader social and developmental goals, such as pioneering new services and routes.
In 1982, the MMTC reported its first profitable year. This would be the only year it generated a profit during its first ten years of operation.
On March 20, 1985, Marcos issued Executive Order No. 1011, creating the Land Transportation Commission as an attached agency of the MOTC. The order removed MMTC's exemption from regulation, placing it under the authority of the LTC.
At some point in the 1990s, the Love Bus was discontinued due to significant losses incurred by MMTC.

Privatization and dissolution

Following the People Power Revolution in 1986, which led to Marcos' resignation, the subsequent Aquino administration shifted government policy focus towards the deregulation and privatization of state-owned enterprises, including those in the transport sector. During this period, MMTC's net worth declined between 1983 and 1987 and its debt-to-equity ratio increased. In response, the government recommended the privatization of MMTC through the Asset Privatization Trust.
In 1991, a USAID-funded study conducted by PwC affiliate Joaquin Cunanan & Co. assessed MMTC's financial biability. The study advised against the immediate privatization of MMTC due to the company's liabilities and risk of defaulting on its loans. Instead, it recommended liquidating MMTC's operational assets, including its bus fleet, while retaining its bus leasing and financing functions.
During the Ramos administration, Secretary of Transportation and Communications Pete Nicomedes Prado issued DOTC Department Order No. 92-587 in 1992, which introduced a liberalized policy framework for the transport sector. The framework encouraged increased competition, reduced direct government involvement, and aimed to streamline regulatory processes. These reforms effectively ended MMTC's monopoly on Metro Manila's bus routes and contributed to the return of fragmented and competitive bus operations, which the company had originally been created to manage.
In 1994, a study group was formed to develop a plan for MMTC's privatization. After several failed attempts at liquidation, MMTC was sold to its blue-collar employees on April 10, 1995 in a formal ceremony at Malacañang Palace. The company's remaining fleet of 155 buses were then acquired and operated by four cooperatives formed by former employees: the United Workers Transport Corporation, the Drivers, Conductors, Mechanics Multi-Purpose Transport Service Cooperative, Filcomtrans, and Fastrans.
Following its privatization, MMTC maintained a skeletal workforce of 12 employees focused on liquidating its assets, auditing the four groups operating its former buses, and collecting outstanding payments from prior obligations. After the company had completely ceased operations in 1997, its remaining assets were sold and auctioned off.
The northern terminal and garage on the corner of North Avenue and Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City was demolished and returned to the National Housing Authority. The area of that property was then developed in a joint venture between Ayala Land and the NHA into Vertis North, which is part of the Triangle Park business district. On the other hand, the southern terminal in Taguig was demolished and returned to Food Terminal Inc., which leased the lot and much of the area to the Shoppers Paradise FTI Corporation in the 2000s, then sold most of the area to Ayala Land in 2012, developing most of the area into Arca South.

Love Bus revivals

Since the discontinuation of the Love Bus, many Filipinos have called for the revival of the Love Bus in an effort to address traffic congestion and encourage private car owners to take public transport.
In 2015, the Department of Transportation and Communications introduced the Premium Point-to-Point Bus Service, an express bus network with fixed schedules and limited to no stops in between terminals. The service has been likened to the Love Bus due to its improved service, premium amenities, and emphasis on attracting private car users to use public transport.
In 2023, Ayala Land and the LTFRB launched e-jeepneys on the Makati Loop route between One Ayala and Circuit Makati in a Love Bus-like livery.
In 2025, during his fourth State of the Nation Address, Philippine president Bongbong Marcos announced that the Love Bus will be revived. Marcos stated that the proposed revival will offer free rides and pilot testing is already ongoing in Cebu City and Davao City.

Bus consortia

During the Marcos administration, the MMTC was one of a few consortia of bus companies based in Metro Manila, while the other consortia consisted of private bus companies. This was a result of Marcos ordering on June 21, 1976 that all bus companies in Metro Manila should be reorganized into four consortia, with MMTC acting as the fifth consortium.
However, due to different management and logistical problems encountered in reorganizing the bus operators, the requirement was relaxed to nine consortia and the MMTC through Letter of Instruction No. 532 signed on April 20, 1977. Each consortium was required to have at least 200 operating units and bear the consortium's marks and colors on its units. Any bus companies not part of a consortium would have their certificate of public convenience revoked. The deadline for merging into consortia was moved several times from June 1977 to December 1979. The guidelines in Letter of Instruction No. 532 were then replaced by a new set of guidelines made in 1980 through discussions between the bus companies and then-Minister of Transportation Jose P. Dans
ConsortiaNumber of companiesNumber of authorized unitsNumber of actual units
North-South Center Line Consortium16461381
M.C. Transit, Inc.1258253
De Dios-Marikina-Yujuico9227244
MD Transit2269219
JD Transit, Inc.2277277
Guadalupe-Makati-Pateros Operator's Consortium20320272
Eastern Carrier Corp.18187142
Sapang Palay-Novaliches Bus Operator's Consortium23188314
Manila Southeast Transit Consortium28239206
Metro Manila Transit Corporation1600587
Total1203,0762,889