The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is set to ask Congress for a massive funding boost for the EDSA busway, raising its 2026 budget to ₱1.32 billion—16 times higher than the current allocation under the National Expenditure Program.
Only ₱88.71 million has been earmarked for the busway, but the agency said this amount falls short of what is needed to overhaul the 28-kilometer EDSA Carousel, which serves more than 177,000 commuters daily and carried over 63 million passengers last year. The original proposal was pegged at ₱14.13 billion.
The DOTr explained that the increase is critical in rehabilitating and upgrading busway stations to make them safer and more accessible. Under former transport secretary Vince Dizon’s plan, the busway would be equipped with its own concourses instead of being tied to MRT-3 stations, easing the burden for seniors and persons with disabilities who struggle with elevated access points.
The agency has already begun phased improvements, including a ₱253-million upgrade of Monumento, Bagong Barrio, North Avenue, and Guadalupe stations, as well as an ₱89-million project to build a new footbridge in Kamuning.
Once rehabilitation is complete, the government intends to turn over the busway’s management to the private sector through a ₱36.74-billion public-private partnership (PPP). Preparations for the project study are ongoing.
Transport advocate Robert Siy of the Move As One Coalition cautioned the agency against adopting a rigid, uniform design for all busway stations. “A uniform design is OK, but it should not forestall the flexibility to achieve long-term capacity potential of the busway,” he told The STAR, stressing that provisions for passing lanes and point-to-point services are vital to easing congestion in the long run.
Alongside the busway funding, the DOTr will also push for ₱2.43 billion to expand bicycle lanes and pedestrian facilities, part of its wider goal of encouraging Filipinos to shift to mass and active transport.
