It’s final: EDSA busway here to stay

MANILA, Philippines — Commuters may heave a sigh of relief now that the government has decided with finality to keep the EDSA busway up and running for the benefit of almost 200,000 daily commuters.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista yesterday said the exclusive bus lane in EDSA would be retained, as endorsed by President Marcos.

Bautista recently sat down with the President and his Cabinet to discuss traffic management in Metro Manila, and the resolution was not to simply maintain the busway, but also to enhance its facilities and services.

“We are not removing the EDSA busway. That was raised as part of the discussion, but it will be kept as is,” Bautista said in a radio interview.

Bautista also rejected the framing that the busway is a replication of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3. He said the MRT-3 stretches between North Avenue and Taft Avenue only, while the busway goes as far north as Monumento to as far south as the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).

Further, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) will soon work with a private group to shore up resources for the busway’s operations and maintenance.

The DOTr is wrapping up the terms of reference for the concession of the busway, with the goal of turning over the infrastructure to a private operator by 2026.

“Our feasibility study will be completed within the next few months, and we are expecting that we will be able to award the operations and maintenance of the busway by the end of 2026,” Bautista said.

In an earlier interview, Bautista said several companies had sent him feelers that they would vie for the contract to manage the busway. Whoever wins the concession will be tasked to upgrade the busway to international standards.

Right now, the busway is plied by carousel buses that travel between Monumento and PITX on a regular schedule. It is also accessed by airport buses and point-to-point units, contributing to the congestion of EDSA traffic.

More than 63 million commuters enjoyed the busway services last year, and to date over 177,000 Filipinos benefit from the infrastructure daily, according to the DOTr.

Recently, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority floated the idea of removing the busway to open another lane for private cars once EDSA undergoes rehabilitation.