MMDA’s wish: longer Pasig ferry route

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is looking at extending the Pasig River ferry system’s service to Marikina City, Taytay in Rizal province and all the way to Laguna to further promote it as an alternative mode of transport.

MMDA General Manager Tim Orbos said on Monday that once the Department of Public Works and Highways was through dredging up the Marikina River, they could finally put up ferry stations to service commuters in Marikina and Eastwood in Quezon City.

During Monday’s inauguration of two new boats, bringing to 14 the MMDA’s ferry fleet, Orbos said their wish list also included servicing commuters not only in Taytay town but also other communities around the Laguna Lake. He added though that these plans have yet to be discussed with Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and the Laguna Lake Development Authority.

Frisco San Juan Jr., the MMDA’s deputy chair, said that should the plan push through, 30 ferry stations around the lake would be built in the coming years.

He added that the current travel time from Taytay to Makati City of two hours could be cut down to around 45 minutes.

Orbos appealed to the public to continue patronizing the ferry system which has a daily average of 400 passengers since “the more we use it, the more it will become viable.”