 Avenue, the Department of Transportation){kind=link}
FINDING THE BENEFITS of operating busways along the stretch of the Epifanio de los Santos (EDSA) Avenue, the Department of Transportation is looking at pushing ahead with modernizing and expanding the dedicated busway systems, beginning with EDSA, and a planned rollout of new corridors in Metro Manila and major provincial cities.
At the forum of economic journalists, Transportation Secretary Vivencio Dizon said the rehabilitation of EDSA busway would begin this year with the long term goal of transforming it into a more sustainable public transport system through a public private partnership project.
‘Among the top priorities is a new busway corridor along España Boulevard in Manila to Quezon Avenue in Quezon City, which Dizon finds as the most viable and most needed … to relieve pressure on the Metro’s congested roads.’
The International Finance Corp. of the World Bank “is helping us do the PPP of the busway. I think that’s the way forward — that is the long term solution to the busway. We need more of those,” he said.
The EDSA Busway PPP is set to be auctioned off in 2026.
NEW BUSWAY CORRIDOR
Among the top priorities is a new busway corridor along España Boulevard in Manila to Quezon Avenue in Quezon City, which Dizon finds as the “most viable and most needed” addition due to its existing road width and potential to relieve pressure on the Metro’s congested roads.
“The España-Quezon Avenue Busway is very important. We are doing a feasibility study for it, hopefully next year. It’s not difficult to build,” he stressed.
He cited the critical role of these planned projects for students and others in the university belt.
Just like the EDSA busway, Dizon believes the government can be the one to run it initially.
“I think we’ll have to do it. Government muna, kamukha nung EDSA. We’ll do it like EDSA. We’ll use that model then we’ll privatize the O&M (Operations and Maintenance),” he added.
PRIVATIZATION
The DOTr plans to privatize the EDSA Bus Carousel as well, with the bidding war set for next year.
Dizon explained that the government will build the “more or less [a] 15-kilometer” infrastructure and will bid out the operations and maintenance contract thereafter.
Beyond Metro Manila, the DOTr wants major bus rapid transit (BRT) projects to transform public transport in the province, such as for Cebu and Davao, Dizon said, explaining that the Cebu BRT and the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project are critical components of this strategy.
He called these projects “game changers because they will be a model for other areas like Iloilo, Bacolod, and Baguio.”