MANILA: Two more stations are added to the EDSA Busway system, bringing to 23 pickup and drop-off points along the route.
The two new stations are Philam and Kamuning, both in Quezon City. The Philam station features an elevator for passengers, especially senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
Apart from the new stations, existing stations such as Guadalupe, Santolan, Balintawak, Bagong Barrio, Monumento, Ayala, Buendia, Kaingin, Nepa Q-Mart, Quezon Avenue, Roosevelt, Roxas Boulevard, and Tramo have been enhanced.
During the inauguration Monday, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) acting chair Romando Artes said four other footbridges in Monumento, Bagong Barrio, Balintawak, and Guadalupe, have three elevators each to encourage more passengers to ride the EDSA Busway.
The MMDA also built and installed a smart traffic surveillance system at the Busway, funded by the DOTr.
‘The EDSA busway boasts of a smart traffic surveillance system where 166 CCTV cameras are installed, 21 with artif
icial intelligence or AI technologies, along the entire Busway route from Monumento to Roxas Boulevard, to monitor the time allowed for buses to load and unload passengers as well as drivers’ violations intended to make commuter trips faster and more efficient,’ Artes said.
Through these initiatives, aligned with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Philippine Development plan, Artes said an increase of the busway’s average number of daily passengers is expected.
‘This project highlights that the government can develop and construct at par infrastructure through coordination and collaboration, underscoring our commitment to providing efficient, effective, and secure transportation systems and managing transport and traffic in the metropolis,’ he said.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, who was also present at the inauguration, said the installation of elevators provides a “comfortable, affordable, safe, and secure, accessible” travel experience to passengers.
He said the project also includes constru
ction of new pedestrian footbridges for Balintawak, Santolan and Guadalupe stations; rehabilitation of existing pedestrian footbridges at Monumento, Bagong Barrio; construction of PWD ramps, catch basins and storm drain pipes; provision of pressurized washer for the concrete barriers.
The EDSA Busway from Monumento to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange was launched at the height of the pandemic in 2020 to provide seamless travel for commuters. It has reduced the end-to-end travel time on EDSA from three hours to one and a half hours.
Source: Philippines News agency
