MANILA, Philippines — Leading business executives are reminding government agencies that public transportation should be among the country’s priorities.
The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) on Sunday, February 9, warned against scrapping the EDSA Bus Carousel days after the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) hinted at its removal.
“Any talk of dismantling of the EDSA Carousel Line at this stage would be ill-advised,” MAP said.
“It will be going against the National Transport Policy of 2017, where public transportation is given priority as a mobility solution mandating the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Department of Public Works and Highways to implement it and regulate it.”
Plans for the EDSA Bus Carousel made headlines last week, with government agencies driving on opposite lanes. MAP, in its statement, “cautions the government with speaking with one voice on this vital public transportation project.”
While the MMDA and the Department of Interior and Local Government were talking about the bus lane’s possible removal, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said it will not be going away anytime soon.
Shutting down proposals
The MMDA was planning on using the bus lane for high-occupancy vehicles or those with three to four passengers.
“To think that a private vehicle with high occupancy on the busway can outload a bus in terms of occupancy is simply unrealistic,” MAP said.
Meanwhile, Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla floated the possibility of charging a congestion fee for those who want to take EDSA.
“Other measures, such as congestion fee charges, have not even been explained to motorists and much less tested,” the organization of the country’s top business executives said.
Data from the DOTr show that the busway was able to serve over 63 million commuters in 2024. Just last month, it transported 5.5 million passengers, with about 177,000 commuters using the EDSA Bus Carousel daily.
The MMDA’s argument for its removal is the bus lane overlaps with the MRT-3’s route and so once the railway can handle all passengers taking the bus, commuters can bid the busway goodbye.
However, the routes of the two transport options do not serve the exact same stations. The busway stretches from Monumento in Caloocan City to the PITX Terminal in Parañaque with 23 bus stops, while the MRT-3 has 13 stations from North Avenue Station in Quezon City to Taft Avenue Station in Pasay. It should also be noted that while the MRT-3 has set operating hours, the busway operates 24/7.
Even MAP flagged this: “The MRT-3’s design capacity is just 350,000 passengers and adding a coach or bagon (railroad car) to it will overload its superstructure and trackway.”
“Besides, there is no space on the platform for the coach extension.”
Instead, MAP suggested that the government make full use of the Mabuhay Lanes as alternative routes fully utilized by motorcycles to help decongest EDSA.
Privatization underway
The business organization noted that the privatization of the EDSA Carousel Line is underway, with the public bidding expected by the second quarter of 2025.
Bautista on the sidelines of an event told reporters that they are finalizing the terms of reference for the busway’s concession. The International Finance Corporation had been tapped for the project, with the DOTr hoping to ink a technical transaction advisory agreement with the organization.
Bautista said that the busway may be turned over to the private sector “early next year” or by 2026.
“Marami nang feelers na they want to join the bidding for the EDSA busway,” the transport secretary said.
(We received a lot of feelers from companies that they want to join the bidding for the EDSA busway.) – Rappler.com