New Pasig River ferry sailing by 2026 – PPA

MANILA, Philippines — Commuting between the east and west of Metro Manila should be easier by late next year, when a new ferry system – one that is convenient, reliable and safer – rolls off in Pasig River.

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said it has received the green light to proceed with its proposal to develop the Pasig River Intermodal Transportation Project, putting it on track to launch ferries in the river by 2026.

PPA general manager Jay Santiago said his agency is now on the same page with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center in improving the ferry system in Pasig River.

The PPA is pushing to deploy watercraft, develop stations and dredge the Pasig River to set up a ferry system a la Venetian public water buses known as Vaporetto. The PPA is ready to spend as much as P800 million per year to sustain the project.

The DOTr, together with the PPP Center, is working on a feasibility study for a ferry system that would cross Manila Bay, Pasig River and Laguna Lake, called MAPALLA. However, the study is expected to take more time to finish.

As such, the PPA was given the go-signal to develop its proposal by carving out the Pasig River line of MAPALLA to offer commuters another mode of public transport.

“I think the DOTr, PPP Center and PPA are now on the same page. They will need to sort things out with respect to their ongoing feasibility study. In the meantime, we at PPA are sorting out the jurisdictional issues in Pasig River,” Santiago told The STAR.

If things go as scheduled, Santiago said the Pasig River Intermodal Transportation Project would be up and running by late 2026 or early 2027.

The project will deploy ferries that would sail station by station in Pasig River along 18 terminals between Plaza Mexico in Manila City and Nagpayong in Pasig City. It will cut travel time from Escolta to Pinagbuhatan, Pasig to just 30 minutes, from three hours currently.

Further, the PPA will deploy two kinds of ferries: a regular service that goes from end to end, and water taxis that can be booked to an exact destination. The agency will require all ferries to have an air conditioner for the comfort of travelers.

For its intermodality, the project will operate buses in every station that would bring passengers from the ferry to the closest land transit option.

For example, commuters alighting at Plaza Mexico can take the shuttle to Kalaw Avenue, where public utility vehicles are available and a nearby Light Rail Transit Line 1 station is located.