The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has firmly rejected proposals to allow carpooling on the EDSA Busway, warning that opening the lane to private vehicles would undermine one of Metro Manila’s most effective mass transport programs.

Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said Thursday that the busway was built to move people—not cars—by providing fast, uninterrupted service to buses carrying up to 300,000 passengers daily.

“Any move to open this lane to private vehicles, even under the guise of carpooling, will inevitably slow down bus operations and defeat the very purpose for which the busway was created,” Lopez said.

“We stand with commuters in affirming that the EDSA Busway is an effective program for the greater majority. This is reason enough for the EDSA Busway to remain exclusive to buses and commuters,” he said.

Lopez acknowledged efforts by Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Nicolas Torre III to ease traffic but stressed that government policy remains firmly commuter-first and pro–mass transit.

The DOTr said it remains open to dialogue with the MMDA, other agencies, and civil society groups, but stressed that any traffic solution must not come at the expense of millions of daily commuters who rely on the EDSA Busway.