Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista has said that the government will keep the EDSA Busway operational even as it also has flashed the green light for point-to-point (P2P) bus units to use the EDSA Busway.
As this developed, the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) sought alternative routes for motorcycles plying Edsa and Metro Manila, rather than removing the EDSA Busway.
The Transportation chief said the EDSA Busway will be improved, adding that even point-to-point bus units and airport express buses are now allowed to ply the EDSA Busway.
MAP, the proponent of EDSA Busway as part of efforts to solve the traffic problem, called for ways to revitalize the Mabuhay Lane or other routes and be cleared of obstructions.
These alternative routes should be utilized fully for motorcycles because they travel “point to point,” according to MAP, a national group which has 1,200 members coming from conglomerates as well as SMEs.
Over 400,000 vehicles travel daily along the 24-kilometer stretch of EDSA.
“Any additional lane on EDSA given to private vehicles will be useless as it will soon be filled up by traffic, per our experience. And other measures, such as congestion fee charges, have not even been explained to motorists and are much less tested,” the MAP said in a statement.
“Any talk of dismantling the EDSA Carousel Line at this stage would be ill advised. It will be going against the National Transport Policy of 2017 where public transportation is given priority as a mobility solution mandating the DOTr (Department of Transportation) and DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) to implement and regulate it,” the MAP said.
The EDSA Busway, which carries thousands of commuters daily, remains the most efficient public transit system in Metro Manila, said DOTr chief.
The privatization of the EDSA Carousel Line is on the last stages of preparation for the public bidding, with the funding to come from the Public-Private Partnership Center and the World Bank. The bidding may be held in the second quarter of the year.
Last week, the proposed phaseout of the EDSA Busway was discussed during the meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other Cabinet members on the Comprehensive Traffic Management Plan for Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
The EDSA Busway is “not necessarily a replication of the MRT-3 (Metro Rail Transit line 3),” as it serves commuters from Caloocan City up to Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange in Parañaque City, Bautista said.
On the other hand, the MRT-3 rail line serves riders only from North Ave. in Quezon City up to Taft Ave.
Meanwhile, Bautista said the feasibility study for the EDSA Busway’s privatization will be completed in a few months, adding that the O&M contract is expected to be awarded by the end of 2026.
“We’re expecting that we will be able to award the O&M by the end of 2026,” he said.
