MANILA, Philippines — With heavy traffic threatening to dampen the holiday spirit, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is confident that Monday’s relaunching of the Pasig River Ferry Service will reduce the commute time between Manila and Pasig and ease traffic flow in the metropolis.
The ferry service was first launched in 2014 under a private firm and again in 2015 by the MMDA. It now has seven boats that can carry about 40,000 passengers a month.
The ferry service currently operates from Monday to Saturday.
The first trip at Pinagbuhatan Station in Pasig going to Guadalupe Station in Makati starts at 7 a.m., while trips from Guadalupe to Escolta Station in Manila begin at 6:30 a.m.
The last trip from Escolta to Guadalupe is at 5:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. from Guadalupe to Pinagbuhatan.
MMDA Chair Danilo Lim said that commuters, especially students and laborers, would enjoy free rides from Dec. 9 until Jan. 31 next year.
Fare rates not yet set
“We are working on how to source more funds and resources for this project. If we can’t offer this service for free, then we can at least offer lower fare rates,” he told reporters during the relaunch at the Lawton Ferry Station in Manila.
The MMDA has yet to determine the fare matrix for the ferry service.
MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia was hopeful that the ongoing free rides would encourage Metro Manila residents to think of the ferry boats as an alternative mode of transport.
On Monday, the Department of Transportation also introduced “water jeepneys” that could ferry passengers from the Cavite City Port Terminal to Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila within 15 to 20 minutes.