Transportation chief planning Quezon Avenue-España busway
Vince Dizon —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) wants to establish a dedicated bus lane linking Quezon Avenue and España, identifying this as a viable route for students and other commuters on a daily basis.
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon, during a forum hosted by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines, said they were doing a feasibility study for the 15-kilometer busway.
“To me, the most viable and the most needed one is España to Quezon Avenue. That is very important,” he said.
Dizon said the government would take the lead in building the bus stations. However, the operations and maintenance would be open for bidding to private sector proponents.
Replicating Edsa system
Currently, the primary dedicated bus lane in Metro Manila is the Edsa Busway, which has 24 stations.
It traverses Monumento, Bagong Barrio, Balintawak, Kaingin, Roosevelt, SM North Edsa, North Avenue, Philam QC, Quezon Avenue, Kamuning, Nepa Q-Mart, Main Avenue, Santolan-Annapolis, Ortigas, Guadalupe, Buendia, Tramo, Taft Avenue and Roxas Boulevard, among others.
On average, the Edsa busway sees over 300 buses plying the dedicated lane everyday. It services about 200,000 passengers daily.
The government is in the process of privatizing the operations and maintenance system of this mass transportation. It has been planning to do so since 2022.
In line with this project, the DOTr secured a P16.3-million grant fund from Swedfund International AB in February.
Swedfund is also set to assist the government in the planning and design of the busway project and provide expertise in sustainable transportation.
Cebu, Cavite BRT
Outside Metro Manila, Dizon said the government was also working on building bus rapid transit (BRT) systems.
An example is the Cebu BRT, which spans a 13.8-kilometer corridor from South Road Properties through Mambaling up to IT Park. The public transportation system—which is designed to have 17 bus stations, two terminals and one depot—has a 160,000-passenger capacity once fully operational.
In January, Megawide Construction Corp. also won a P1.87-billion contract to construct the Cavite BRT.
The project will span 42 kilometers across the cities and municipalities of Cavite—particularly Imus, General Trias, Tanza, Kawit and Trece Martires—and surrounding areas to provide a link to Metro Manila. According to the terms of the project, the project will include 37 stations and three terminals. INQ
