Biz group to DOTr: Don’t open busway to private cars

MANILA, Philippines — The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) is pushing back against the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) decision to temporarily allow private cars on the Edsa Busway, saying this would defeat the project’s very purpose.

“Dedicated bus roadway and only regulated buses with high-volume capacity are the design imperatives for the Busway,” the group said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The policy should be to move passengers, not vehicles. Private vehicles on the roads should be reduced.”

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READ: DOTr chief pushes for Edsa busway funding in 2027

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This comes after the DOTr announced that private vehicles will be allowed to pass through the Edsa Busway from Nepa Q-Mart to Boni Avenue stations for about two weeks starting Nov. 2 as the stretch undergoes resurfacing.

READ: Edsa busway still exclusive to buses amid temporary scheme in one stretch

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said the move was meant to ease traffic and “lessen trouble for motorists,” particularly as students and workers return to Metro Manila after the “Undas” break.

For MAP, the government should instead deploy more buses and complete its missing stations, saying “students are not adequate reasons for this exemption.”—Logan Kal-El M. Zapanta