Possible turnover of EDSA busway to private operator by 2026 - DOTr

Metro Manila, Philippines - The government said on Monday, Feb. 3, that it may turn over the operations of the Epifanio delos Santos Ave. (EDSA) busway to a private operator “by early next year.”

At the sidelines of the groundbreaking ceremony for the Taguig City Integrated Terminal Exchange on Monday, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said it is still finalizing terms of reference for the agreement.

He said the agency will also sign a transaction advisory agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for the project. IFC is a unit of the World Bank for private sector investments.

“We’re supposed to sign it today. Unfortunately hindi available iyong officers ng IFC… kaya hindi natin napirmahan,” Bautista said.

[Translation: “We’re supposed to sign it today. Unfortunately, IFC officers were unavailable… that’s why we weren’t able to sign it.]

“We will invite prospective bidders, we'll have a roadshow and then we do the procurement,” he added.

Bautista said some groups have expressed intent to submit bids.

The EDSA busway, which runs on a dedicated lane, began operations for free in 2020 to address travel woes during the pandemic. It followed a paid fare system in 2023.

Busway operations stretch from Monumento in Caloocan to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange.