EDSA busway transports 129k commuters daily
THE EDSA Busway, a dedicated median bus lane service under a collaborative project 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), reached a total ridership of 47,104,197 in 2021, serving an average ridership of 129,000 daily.
Based on the data from the (LTFRB), the EDSA Busway, also known as the EDSA Carousel, consistently recorded more than 2 million commuters for the first three months of 2021: 2 million 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.
To recall, the Service Contracting Program, wherein public utility bus (PUB) drivers operating on the EDSA Busway are paid by the government 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.
Meanwhile, DOTr Assistant Secretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark Steven Pastor said the EDSA Busway is in line with the efforts of the government to help contain the transmission of COVID-19 as it significantly reduces the travel time for the commuters – reducing the risk of exposure from the virus.
“As an example, the 2-3 hours of travel pre-pandemic from MOA (Mall of Asia in Pasay City) to Monumento in Caloocan is now reduced to around one hour through the EDSA Busway,” Asec. Pastor pointed out.
