Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime J. Bautista this Thursday ( August 4) inaugurated the Roxas Boulevard and Taft Busway Stations of the P77,738,390 EDSA Busway Project, which were completed just a couple of days ago.
The EDSA Busway Project is a joint undertaking of the DOTr, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) which features dedicated median lanes for buses with stations built at the median island.
It allows for more efficient travel by avoiding conflict with connecting streets, driveways, commercial centers, and curbside drop-off points.
The EDSA busway system is expected to improve the bus service in EDSA by reducing the travel time from the Mall of Asia (MOA), Pasay to Monumento, Caloocan, from 2-3hrs to around 1 hour 30 minutes
It also aims to have a more efficient bus service in EDSA by reducing the number of buses plying the route from 3,342 bus units to around 550 bus units.
Already, as of July 2022, the EDSA Busway has been catering to an average of around 296,209 passengers daily.
To date, the 550 authorized units plying the EDSA Busway are under the ES Consortium and Mega Manila Consortium Corporation but the average number of running units total 479.
Currently, there are seventeen operational stations where buses are allowed to pick-up and drop-off passengers.
The operational stations are composed of thirteen median stations, three curbside stations, and one integrated terminal exchange.
The government allocated almost P78 million for the improvement and support of the existing Busway stations, including the construction of additional bus bays, and the construction and rehabilitation of footbridges.
The allocated budget was transferred to MMDA for the implementation of the proposed works.
The allocation includes the civil works for the three additional median stations in Taft, Tramo, and Roxas Boulevard which started February, 2022.