Public commuting for the most part looks like an obstacle race for hapless Filipino commuters but a recent government policy has taken it to the next difficulty level.

Now the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) are pointing fingers at each other over the so-called window-hour scheme that allows provincial buses to use their private terminals, located within Metro Manila, only from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Outside these window hours, or from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m., provincial buses are required to go to PITX (Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange) for Mimaropa, Bicol, and Calabarzon; NLET (North Luzon Express Terminal) for Regions 1, 2, 3, and CAR; and SRIT (Santa Rosa Integrated Terminal) for Visayas and Mindanao. In response to the policy, provincial operators limited their trips to only the window hours, stranding hundreds of passengers without means of transport to and from work.