This guide explains Metro Manila number coding, officially the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program. It is a traffic rule run mainly by the MMDA and some city governments, not an LTO license renewal step. Use it to match a plate number to a weekday, then confirm city exceptions and any suspension before you drive.
Last verified: 8 October 2026. Window hours differ by city. A typhoon or a special announcement can suspend coding for a day. Check MMDA’s own channels that morning.
Who is covered
The restriction follows the last digit of the vehicle plate, including a temporary plate. It applies on weekdays to many private vehicles on covered roads in Metro Manila. Weekends and regular national holidays are normally not coding days.
- Motorcycles are generally not covered by the MMDA coding scheme.
- Electric vehicles have been treated as exempt in recent national and MMDA announcements. Confirm the current exemption before you rely on it.
- Public utility vehicles and other listed exceptions follow separate rules. Do not assume a private car exception applies to them.
Which day your plate is restricted
- Monday: plates ending in 1 or 2
- Tuesday: 3 or 4
- Wednesday: 5 or 6
- Thursday: 7 or 8
- Friday: 9 or 0
Odd and even last digits do not get a different rule on EDSA. Both follow the same weekday ban. The last digit only chooses the day.
Coding hours and window hours
On roads that follow the MMDA schedule, the usual banned periods are 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The midday window, about 10:01 AM to 4:59 PM, is when a coded private vehicle may use those roads.
Makati is the main exception in secondary guides: coding is often enforced the whole day, about 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, with no midday window. Pasig, Manila, Quezon City, and Pasay are commonly described as following the MMDA window, with stricter spots near major routes. Marikina and Muntinlupa are often described as not coding their own city streets, while national roads that pass through them still follow MMDA. Inside Bonifacio Global City, internal roads are commonly reported as not coded, while national roads in Taguig are.
Roads where it usually applies
Expect coding on major MMDA-covered roads such as EDSA, C5, and other primary arteries. A city street can be outside the scheme even when the highway beside it is covered. If you cross a city boundary, follow the stricter rule on that stretch.
How to check if coding is suspended
- Look at the MMDA’s official Facebook page or website for a same-day suspension. A blog cannot know a typhoon announcement in advance.
- Do not use the LTO portal as the source for coding. License renewal and number coding are different offices.
- If one city suspends coding and another does not, the city you are driving in controls its own streets.
Common problems
- Driving through Makati at noon on a coding day because a Metro Manila-wide window was assumed.
- Using a temporary plate’s last digit incorrectly, or reading a conduction sticker as the plate.
- Treating a motorcycle or an electric vehicle exemption as permission to ignore a separate city ordinance.
- Missing a same-day suspension and also missing a day when coding is still on.
Official sources
- Metropolitan Manila Development Authority — mmda.gov.ph and the MMDA’s official social channels — scheme, hours, and suspensions
- City traffic offices for Makati and other local window-hour rules
Pilipinas Guide is not the MMDA or the LTO. We do not issue clearances or settle coding apprehensions.
