The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Friday it will not remove the EDSA Busway to expand the lanes for private vehicles traversing the major thoroughfare.
Bautista said in a radio interview the dedicated lane for buses, which carry thousands of commuters daily, would instead be improved with the help of the private sector via the privatization of its operations and management (O&M).
“The EDSA Busway will be removed. There was a discussion about that, but it would not be removed,” he said.
Bautista recently met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other Cabinet members to discuss the Comprehensive Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) for Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
He said even the Chief Executive stressed that “we need to have an efficient public transport system.”
Bautista said the EDSA Busway is “not necessarily a replication of the MRT-3,” saying that it serves commuters from Caloocan City up to Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) in Parañaque City. The MRT-3 rail line serves riders only from North Ave. in Quezon City up to Taft Ave.
He said even point-to-point buses (P2P) and airport express buses are now being allowed to ply the EDSA Busway to help alleviate congestion along the country’s busiest thoroughfare.
Bautista said the feasibility study for the project’s privatization would be completed in a few months, as he expressed hope the O&M would be awarded by end-2026.
“The feasibility study would be completed within the next few months. We’re expecting that we will be able to award the O&M of the EDSA Busway by the end of 2026,” he said.
“We want the EDSA Busway to conform to international standards for the comfort and convenience of passengers,” Bautista said.
