MANILA, Philippines - The Duterte administration has allotted a total of P10.2 billion next year for developing the country’s first-ever Bus Rapid Transit projects in Metro Manila and Cebu, an administration lawmaker said over the weekend.
Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr. said BRT Line 2 along the 27-kilometer EDSA will get P3 billion while Line 1 along Quezon Avenue-España Boulevard will get P1.76 billion.
The BRT project in Metro Cebu has a separate P5.37-billion allotment, he added.
“Our cities deserve a breath of fresh air, so we definitely do not want the usual 100-percent diesel buses running through our BRT lines,” Campos, a deputy minority leader, emphasized.
The author of the proposed Electric, Hybrid and Alternative Fuel Vehicles Incentives Act said he is counting on the transportation and energy departments to harness new environment-friendly, low-emission buses for the BRT operations.
“Hybrid buses with battery-powered electric motors and smaller diesel engines, or possibly even buses running on cleaner fuel such as compressed natural gas, should be deployed, preferably,” Campos said.
He also expects every BRT bus to be run by the private sector to have free high-speed internet connectivity, digital security cameras and a public-address system.
The BRT operations are expected to deploy buses that have greater capacity and reliability to efficiently move commuters compared to conventional buses.
The scheme will involve buses running one after the other at a designated average speed using segregated lanes and going through dedicated stations, with a bus arriving at each station every five minutes.
The system design will also include facilities enabling passengers to conveniently get on and off buses and purchase fares with ease.
Once completed, BRT Line 2 is anticipated to move 1.6 million to two million commuters daily, while Line 1 is estimated to serve 300,000 passengers daily.
The Cebu BRT is projected to accommodate 330,000 riders daily.
BRT operations form part of the public transport systems of more than 200 metropolitan districts around the world, according to Campos.