Government planners evaluating the operations and maintenance of the EDSA Busway project as a public-private partnership (PPP) project is approaching completion, according to the PPP Center.
Jeffrey Manalo, PPP deputy executive director, told reporters of the development at the sidelines of the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines-San Miguel Corp. business journalism seminar in Baguio City over the weekend.
“The review process is already at the tail-end. We will be following up with them because theDepart ent of Transportation (DOTr) needs to decide whether they will proceed to the next stage or return the proposal,” Manalo said.
Earlier, the DOTr expressed confidence to bring the project to conclude the process and bid out the operations and maintenance of the EDSA Busway project as soon as next year.
The agency had said it is completing the feasibility study for submission to the National Economic and Development Authority for approval in the next few months.
Among the issues tackled by the feasibility study relates to whether or not to tap a single operator for the entire project, both the buses and the busway itself, or bring in separate operators for each.
The DOTr also recently conducted a market sounding activity to hear from bidders from a pool of bus operators, bus manufacturers and contractors, banks, and financial institutions, among others.
At present, the EDSA Busway has 21 pickup and drop-off points from Monumento in Caloocan City to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange.
The DOTr first launched the EDSA Busway project in June 2020 to provide seamless travel for commuters and has successfully reduced the end-to-end travel time along EDSA from three hours to one and a half hours.
Recently, through a partnership with SM Prime Holdings Inc., construction of the EDSA Busway concourse in Ortigas also started and seen completed in July this year.
The DOTr earlier said other sites will be developed by D.M. Wenceslao and Associates Inc. for the Aseana EDSA Busway Station while Double Dragon Corp. will construct the Macapagal EDSA Busway Station.
