EDSA busway ridership at 23.3M from January to May

The Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation of the Department of Transportation (DOTr-SAICT) reported that 23,323,657 passengers have been transported through the EDSA busway from January 1 to May 31, 2024.

In a social media post yesterday, the committee said commuters using the EDSA busway ridership program in January grew to 6,054,779 in May from 3,864,473 in January.

According to Johan G. Martinez, Former Program Manager of the BRT-National Program Management Office (BRT-NPMO) of DOTr, the main objective of the EDSA Busway project is to provide a mass transportation system that can sustain 600,000 trips every day.

“The 600,000 figure came from the target of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to open up the economy to essential sectors around June 2020,” Mr. Martinez said.

SAICT added that implementing strict traffic regulations ensures efficiency and hassle-free transportation along the busway.

“Strict enforcement along EDSA busway is vital to ensure smooth flow and movement efficiency of buses transporting commuters,” the committee said.

Violators along the EDSA busway

Despite the government’s efforts to keep things orderly, a few drivers were caught illegally driving at the EDSA busway last Tuesday, June 18.

According to the report of SAICT , more than 20 vehicle operators were reprimanded and received a ticket amounting to P5,000 due to unauthorized use of the busway.

“Ang batas ay batas at dapat sundin [Law is law, everyone needs to follow it,]” the department said.

Most of the apprehended were 4-wheel vehicles and motorcycles. Some motorcycles were impounded also due to driving without a license and registration. – Almira Louise S. Martinez