Daily Tribune
Heavy traffic is the usual scene along EDSA Makati on Friday as it is the weekend. The government is planning to remove the bus lane and to allow motorcycles to use the bike lanes.
Photograph by JOHN CARLO MAGALLON for the daily tribune
The privatization of the EDSA Busway is moving forward, with the government aiming to award the operations and management (O&M) contract by the end of 2026 to enhance services and efficiency for daily commuters.
This, as Department of Transportation (DoTr) Secretary Jaime J. Bautista confirmed Friday that the EDSA Busway — which serves thousands of passengers daily — will not be removed despite earlier concerns.
Instead, the focus will be on improving the busway with private sector involvement.
“We will not remove the EDSA Busway. There will be discussion regarding that, but it will not be removed,” Bautista said.
The DoTr is scheduled to complete the feasibility study for the busway’s privatization in the coming months. An O&M contract should be awarded by the end of 2026.
“The feasibility study will be completed within the next few months. We’re expecting that we will be able to award the O&M of the EDSA Busway by the end of 2026. We hope that the EDSA Busway will conform to international standards for the comfort and convenience of our passengers,” Bautista said.
The Transportation chief clarified that the EDSA Busway, which operates from Caloocan City to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, is not a replacement for the MRT-3, which serves passengers between North Avenue in Quezon City and Taft Avenue.
