Commuters use the newly opened Philam Station in Quezon City. The station features an elevator or manlifters which can be used by pregnant passengers, persons with disability (PWD) and senior citizens. —Inquirer photo/Grig C. Montegrande
MANILA, Philippines — Two more stations have been added to the Edsa Busway system, bringing to 23 the total number of pickup and drop-off points along the route that runs parallel to Metro Rail Line 3 (MRT 3).
Inaugurated on Monday were the Philam and Kamuning stations, both in Quezon City.
“The Edsa-Philam station features elevators or manlifters to provide accessibility and convenience to passengers, especially senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs),” Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chair Don Artes said.
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“Four other footbridges, particularly [the] stations at Monumento, Bagong Barrio, Balintawak [and] Guadalupe, have three elevators each to encourage more passengers to ride the Edsa Busway,” he added.
Traffic monitoring system
To ensure the safety and security of passengers, the MMDA also constructed and installed a Smart Traffic Surveillance System at the Busway through the funding of the Department of Transportation.
“The Edsa busway boasts of a smart traffic surveillance system [composed of] 166 [closed-circuit TV] cameras, 21 with artificial intelligence or AI technologies, [installed] along the entire 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.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said they would seek additional funding for adding more elevators and improvements to provide “a comfortable, affordable, safe and secure, accessible travel experience to passengers, especially to senior citizens and [PWDs].”
These include the construction of new pedestrian footbridges for the Balintawak, Santolan and Guadalupe stations; rehabilitation of existing pedestrian footbridges at Monumento, Bagong Barrio; construction of PWD ramps, catch basins and storm drain pipes; and provision of pressurized washer for concrete barriers.
The Edsa Busway, or Edsa Carousel, which began interim operations in June 2020, is a 28-kilometer line from Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange to Monumento in Caloocan City.