THE departments of Transportation (DoTr) and Information and Communications Technology (DICT), said they jointly launched the Free WiFi for All program at Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) Busway stations.
“Basic services like transport and internet should also progress because it has now become a necessity for the public,” Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Rhoel R. Aguda said on Thursday.
The DICT’s “Free WiFi for All” program provides free public internet services in public areas like schools, health facilities, and underserved markets to help bridge the digital divide.
The DoTr said free internet access will only be available at 17 stations for now — Balintawak, Kaingin, Fernando Poe, Jr., SM North EDSA, North Avenue, PHilAm, Quezon Avenue, Kamuning, Nepa Q-Mart, Main Avenue, Ortigas, Buendia, Ayala, Tramo, Taft Avenue, Roxas Boulevard, and SM Mall of Asia.
The remaining three EDSA Busway stations such as Monumento, Bagong Barrio, and Guadalupe will soon be part of the program after rehabilitation work is completed.
The program provides commuters between 40 and 60 megabits per second of free internet service, the DICT said.
The DICT said last year that it is hoping to establish up to 70,000 free WiFi sites after having launched 19,000 such sites as of August 2025.
For 2025, the DoTr reported ridership of 66.67 million on the EDSA Busway.
The DoTr expects to carry more than 70 million passengers this year, reflecting greater efficiencies due to modernization.
Since its launch in June 2020, the EDSA Busway has served 341.31 million passengers.
The DoTr is also working on the expansion of the EDSA Busway, it said, with three more stations set to start construction within the first quarter.
The additional stations are in Cubao, Magallanes and the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, the DoTr said, adding that the new stations are expected to be completed by the fourth quarter. — Ashley Erika O. Jose
