EDSA Busway: The single lane that moves millions

MANILA, Philippines — There is no single way to resolve the metro traffic that has hounded the daily lives of millions of Filipinos, but there is a single lane that could somewhat ease the commuting pain.

In the main road artery of EDSA, this is the lane in the innermost section of the road, the one right beside the viaduct of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), and known to many as the EDSA Busway.

Separated by concrete barriers and steel fences, the busway serves as an exclusive lane for public utility buses in one of the busiest roads in Metro Manila, allowing them to travel EDSA without having to negotiate space with private vehicles.

The busway runs for at least 28 kilometers between the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) and Monumento, linking two of the most important transit points in the metro. To date, it offers 24 stops across Parañaque, Pasay, Makati, Mandaluyong, Quezon City and Caloocan.

Based on data from the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the busway served more than 63 million commuters in 2024. Currently, it benefits over 177,000 Filipinos daily, and expectations are this would still go up as the infrastructure is improved.

Under former transport chief Jaime Bautista, the DOTr took an aggressive step in trying to privatize the busway’s management, in line with his policy to amplify the private sector’s role in the transport sector.

However, under Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon, the agency has shifted to a new strategy, one where the government invests in the infrastructure first, before letting private investors step in.

For the busway, this means putting up new concourses that would make its stations accessible to all kinds of passengers, including persons with disabilities and senior citizens.

As a start, the DOTr is spending P253 million to rehabilitate the busway stations in Monumento, Bagong Barrio, North Avenue and Guadalupe. The agency is prioritizing these stops based on the availability of manlift and ridership data.

The long-term objective for the busway is to build concourses that no longer have to rely on the MRT-3 for accessibility. Currently, commuters have to ascend the stations of the MRT-3 to reach the curbside where the buses pick up and drop off passengers.

According to New York-based think tank Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), the government plays a critical role in managing bus rapid transit (BRT) systems like the EDSA Busway.

IDTP said the government has to actively manage and provide subsidies to enable operators to maintain the frequency and quality of trips.

Once this cycle is sustained, ITDP said it would be easy to raise political support to maintain the yearly subsidies for BRTs.

IDTP warned that removing the government’s role in the frame would make it challenging for operators to stay profitable as BRTs tend to run as a public service. In this scenario, services may become either too costly or substandard, both of which disadvantage commuters.

“Through sustained investments, BRT attracts and retains riders, and operators ensure equity and safety. The government also meets goals of better access and reduced emissions,” IDTP said.

The country’s first privately-run and locally managed BRT will be tested soon under the hands of infrastructure builder Megawide Construction Corp.

Megawide bagged the P1.87-billion project to build a BRT in Cavite, passing through the towns of Kawit, Imus, General Trias, Tanza and Trece Martires.

The project also includes the establishment of a point-to-point transit between Cavite and PITX, which is also operated by Megawide.

In an earlier interview with reporters, Megawide president and CEO Edgar Saavedra said the aim is to partially open the BRT by September, to serve up to 10,000 passengers every day.

However, ridership is projected to go up every time a segment is completed, reaching 50,000 in three years.

Megawide, working with the Maplecrest Group Inc., plans to deliver the entire alignment in two years. Given its transit impact, the BRT is expected to pull commercial developments to Cavite, particularly near the alignment and its stations.

The DOTr, for its part, is pulling all the stops, too, to bring the concept of BRT to urban centers in the provinces, with projects underway in Cebu and Davao.

In Cebu, the DOTr is ready to pilot the operations of the Cebu BRT in September, a project seen to benefit more than 70,000 commuters in the province.

By September, the project will begin operating buses between three stations of the first segment, namely, in Cebu South Bus Terminal, Cebu Normal University and Fuente Circle.

DOTr’s Dizon committed that the succeeding phases of the Cebu BRT, made up of 13 stations and 62 stops, would be finished before the end of the Marcos administration in 2028. The Cebu BRT, once completed, will span over 35 kilometers in trunk services and feeder lines.

The project costs P28.78 billion and is funded by a loan from the World Bank. In its entirety, the Cebu BRT will feature 22 stations, 62 stops, four terminals and a depot, allowing it to facilitate 144 buses by 2038.

Further down south, the DOTr is building the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project (DPTMP), a project that stretches 670 kilometers across the cities and municipalities of Davao.

The DPTMP marries the BRT concept and public utility vehicle modernization in a single effort by rationalizing about 670 kilometers of bus routes used by more than 800,000 passengers every day.

The project, to be piloted in 2027, will put up designated bus lanes to make land trips in Davao more efficient and predictable.

The DPTMP will establish the country’s first bus driving academy to professionalize driving for public transport units. Further, the project will set up bus priority traffic signaling, bus operation control center, automated fare collection system, among others.

Dizon sees the future not just of the BRT model, but of public transport as well, in the DPTMP.

He said the project, if it becomes successful, can be emulated in other parts of the country given how complex and yet integrated it is.