EDSA BUSWAY. A city bus running along the EDSA busway. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Wednesday (Aug. 19, 2020) said there are currently 15 operational stations plied by a total of 284 buses along the stretch of Edsa. (PNA file photo)
MANILA – More stations and buses are now available on the Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (Edsa) busway as public transportation resumes in Metro Manila, according to an official of the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
In a virtual briefing on Wednesday, Assistant Secretary for Road Transport Steve Pastor said there are currently a total of 15 operational stations on the Edsa busway, plied by 284 buses.
“As of today, we have 15 stations completed, six are operational at the median and four at the curbside, while the remaining five we're still waiting for the delivery of the barriers,” Pastor said.
As a means to protect and ensure the exclusivity of the busway to city buses and essential government vehicles, he said a total of 2,407 concrete barriers have been delivered to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) as the overseer of the program.
“Meron din pong steel bollards na dinonate sa MMDA (There are also steel bollards donated by the MMDA) and this would be used to enclose some of the stretches along Edsa,” Pastor said.
In the long-run, he said the Edsa busway, through its exclusive use of the median lanes, would reduce the previous 61 city bus routes in Edsa to only 30, and reduce the previous 3,350 buses to only 550.
Buses with left-side doors
Meanwhile, DOTr Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope Libiran said HM Transit, an operator of city and provincial buses, deployed three units of buses with doors placed on both the left and right sides, enabling the drop-off of passengers at the curbside for both outer and median lanes.
“And according to Mr. Homer Mercado, pagdating po ng (by) September, they will add seven more bus units with the same configurations. So ito po ay mas makakatulong para ma-ensure yung safety ng ating mga pasahero (So this would help ensure the safety of our passengers),” Libiran said.
She added that the new buses are part of a new “Mega Manila consortium” for the Edsa busway. (PNA)
