Edsa busway bidding targeted for 2025

Bidding for the Edsa Busway public-private partnership project is expected to start in 2025, as the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is still in the process of developing the deal’s terms.

Timothy John Batan, DOTr Undersecretary for Planning and Project Development, told reporters last week that professional services company Deloitte was tapped to assist in a feasibility study for the transport project.

A feasibility study is needed to identify the scope and limitations of the operations and maintenance contract. Initial output from the study was expected to be released by the first half of next year, Batan said.

The proposal would then undergo a review process by the National Economic Development Authority, which usually takes months, Batan added.

The DOTr official said the Project Development and Monitoring Facility (PDMF) granted a P50-million financing for the feasibility study. The PDMF is a fund managed by the PPP Center to support infrastructure projects in the country.

The DOTr is looking for a private concessionaire to improve the operation of the Edsa Busway, which is a dedicated median lane for city buses traveling from Monumento to Pasay. The department said the project might also include the rollout of electric buses in order to reduce carbon emissions in Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfare.

Several private sector groups had stressed the urgency to privatize the Edsa Busway, noting that a “busway with rapid bus service has proven to be the most cost-effective urban mass transit system in the world.” INQ