The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has yet to decide on the long-term operations and maintenance (O&M) setup for the EDSA Busway, with the agency leaving the next steps largely in the hands of consultants and the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center.

Transportation Senior Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark Steven Pastor said Tuesday the government is still studying how the busway will move forward under a review procured by the Office of Transportation Cooperatives and Road Transport (OTR).

“It's part of the study procured by the OTR. We currently have an international consultant working on determining the way forward together with the PPP Center,” Pastor said.

“We have to defer to our consultants because they are more knowledgeable about this. We will defer to whatever they recommend to the department. And of course, the department will consider it,” he said.

With no final decision yet on the busway’s future management, the department said it is focusing instead on improving commuter facilities along the existing corridor.

“In the meantime, while there is still no decision on that, our priority is to improve the busway. If you will notice, especially at the end stops, we continue to improve the bus stops by providing man lifts, elevators, and the necessary infrastructure,” Pastor said.

Pastor also confirmed that the proposed España busway remains off the department’s priority list as it grapples with budget limitations.

“At this point in time, it has not yet been prioritized,” Pastor said. “We are looking at other areas to prioritize first as far as BRT (Bus Rapid Transport) systems are concerned, because as we all know, the department’s budget is somewhat limited right now. We have to maximize it where the impact is greater.”

Instead of expanding to new corridors, the DOTr is concentrating resources on the Cebu BRT system, which is already operational but still undergoing improvements.

“Our priority is to improve the Cebu BRT system. It is already running. We are now implementing enforcement measures,” Pastor said.

“As far as traffic signalization is concerned, we are speeding it up so that time and motion will also improve,” he added.