The Department of Transportation (DOTr) plans to improve further the operation, and increase the number of buses of the EDSA Busway system to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila.
At the Laging Handa Ph public briefing yesterday, DOTr undersecretary Mark Steven Pastor said the agency is looking at increasing the number routes and buses at EDSA Busway.
Pastor added the agency will also build additional stations in heavy volume areas like Ormoc, Tramo, Magallanes and Kamuning and will further expand the stations in Guadalupe and Bagong Barrio.
At present, the EDSA Busway has 13 stations and 550 authorized bus units and an additional 100 rescue units.
The DOTr said bus operators with units running on the EDSA Busway should operate 100 percent of their units to serve the transport need of bus commuters.
“Compliance of bus operators with the DOTr requirement for them to field 100 percent of their bus fleets on the EDSA Busway will mean the addition to 50 to 100 buses currently on the bus line,” DOTr said.
Last week, the DOTr in coordination with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority installed bus timers in 13 stations of EDSA Busway. The bus timer gives each bus a maximum of 30 seconds to pick up and drop off passengers in every station.
The DOTr has proposed to the Department of Budget and Management an allocation of P778 million for the Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) modernization project in 2023 but this was not included in the National Expenditure Program.
Aside from EDSA Busway improvement and the PUV modernization, the DOTr is also implementing several road projects such as Cebu Bus Rapid system, Davao High Priority bus system and elevated walkway in Edsa dubbed as Edsa Greenway project.
