Edsa Busway privatization study finalized by end-’23

THE government should be able to complete the feasibility study for the privatization of the Edsa Busway within the year, a ranking official said.

In a chance interview, Department of Transportation (DOTR) Undersecretary for Planning and Project Development Timothy John R. Batan said the agency received funding from the Public-private Partnership (PPP) Center for the study on the Edsa Busway.

“We already got the funding from PPP Center. Ongoing currently is the selection of the consultant who will do the feasibility study. So we should be getting that this month or March for the latest,” he said, noting that completion of the studying should be between “six to nine months.”

The government is studying the privatization of the operations of the Edsa Busway, after business groups called on the Marcos administration to implement the project through a PPP.

A total of 28 private groups, including foreign chambers and local business organizations, last year said the collaboration between the government and the private sector on the Edsa Busway could “finally put an end to the daily scenario in which thousands of commuters wait in long queues in overcrowded stations while enduring unnecessary pains and hardships.”

“Part of the study is how to do the PPP: Is it a single operator for the entire thing or separate operators for the buses? So there are different ways to structure the Edsa Busway. Part of the study will be to give the recommendation on the best structuring for the project,” Batan said.

The Edsa Busway, which was first introduced in 2020 in response to the pandemic, is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system that runs from Monumento to the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).

It used to offer free transportation to ease the burden of commuters that were affected by the pandemic. The initiative came to an end in 2022.