The EDSA Busway, a dedicated median bus lane service under a collaborative project of state transport agencies, reached a total ridership of 47,104,197 in 2021, serving an average ridership of 129,000 daily.
This initiative of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), consistently recorded more than 2 million commuters for the first three months of 2021.
The EDSA Busway registered 2 million riders in January, 2.3 million in February, and 2.4 million in March, while 1.6 million was recorded in April as Metro Manila was placed under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
EDSA Busway’s ridership increased once again in May with 2.6 million commuters.
As the Phase 1 of the Service Contracting Program ended on 30 June 2021, the EDSA Busway recorded a total ridership of 4.6 million.
The Service Contracting Program, where government paid public utility bus (PUB) drivers operating on the EDSA Busway on a per-kilometer basis, allowed the continuous operations of the “Libreng Sakay” or Free Ride Service program for medical frontliners and essential workers.
Ridership in the months of July and August reached 3.6 million and 2.2 million, respectively, while in September, coinciding with the resumption of the Service Contracting Program (Phase II), the EDSA Busway recorded over 3.8 million commuters.
For the remaining months of 2021, EDSA Busway ridership data has doubled as it recorded 6.4 million in October, 7.4 million in November, and had its greatest number of commuters in December with 7.6 million.