DOTr eyes cable car system anew

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has revived discussions on building a cable car system to help ease road congestion.

“We are finalizing certain details. Hopefully, I would be able to convince proponents,” Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade said in a speech at the Asia CEO Forum yesterday.

He said he would want the fare of the cable car system to be equal to the fares charged by other public transport options such as jeepneys, buses and railways.

“I don’t want a rate that is high so that, you know, the public can benefit,” he said.

When Tugade assumed his post, he said the Philippines could learn from Bolivia, which used the cable car system to address traffic woes.

Earlier, the DOTr said it is coming up with studies on building the cable car system as an alternative transport option in the country.

Among the areas identified for the cable car system are the Pasig River, Boracay and Baguio.

The DOTr had been exploring the possibility of securing technical assistance or funding for a feasibility study on the cable cars from the French government.

During Tugade’s meeting with Russian Minister for Transport Maksim Sokolov in November last year, the cable car system was among those identified as a possible area of cooperation between the two countries.

Road congestion has become a serious problem in Metro Manila.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency said that traffic woes in Metro Manila now cause P3.5 billion in lost opportunities per day from an earlier estimate of P2.4 billion a day.