23 more ‘express buses’ to be deployed

The “express bus” system on Edsa may be extended for a year after its two-month pilot testing proved it to be a useful alternative mode of transportation, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced on Thursday.

Following a meeting with bus operators and the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino said that they were planning to field an additional 23 buses on top of the 27 express buses currently operating.

Of the 50 vehicles, eight would be deployed to pick up stranded passengers on Edsa in case the Metro Rail Transit suffers a service disruption, as suggested by bus operators.

“We will add another bus stop in [the] Mother Ignacia [area] to service passengers going to Ayala in Makati,” Tolentino said.

Last March 22, Wi-Fi and GPS tracker-equipped express buses started plying two initial routes in Metro Manila to ease traffic on Edsa. The two routes are Fairview in Quezon City to Ayala Avenue in Makati City and vice versa, and from Fairview to the Ortigas business district in Pasig City and vice versa.