MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has identified three more major roads in Metro Manila that will have exclusive lanes for buses: C5 Road, Quezon Avenue and Ortigas Avenue.
At the ASEAN Transportation Forum organized by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Transportation Undersecretary Mark Steven Pastor said the DOTr has concluded the pre-feasibility study, funded by a grant from the World Bank, for the new busways in Metro Manila.
Afterward, the DOTr will find a consultant that will deliver the detailed engineering design of the project.
Pastor said the DOTr is proceeding with the NCR busway project by building exclusive lanes for buses along C5, Quezon Avenue and Ortigas.
On C5, the busway will run for 45.6 kilometers, covering at least 88 stops. C5 is one of Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfares, stretching from Taguig in the south to Valenzuela in the north.
Pastor said another busway would be set up from Quezon Avenue to España Boulevard, extending 26.24 kilometers and served by 62 stations. He said this would improve traffic flow in a corridor taken mostly by students headed to the University Belt.
The busway that will run from Ortigas to Aurora Boulevard spans 30.5 kilometers. It will have 65 stops and will cater to commuters traveling between eastern and western metro, Pastor added.
According to Pastor, the DOTr is studying how the busways would be operated, with options to keep them government-owned or to have them run privately.
The DOTr had sought a budget of P1.76 billion to keep the EDSA busway running in 2027, but this was turned down by the Department of Budget and Management.
Lawmakers are pushing to inject at least P75 million into the busway, recognizing that it ferries nearly 183,000 commuters daily as of 2025.