Megawide Plans To Operate EDSA Busway

Megawide Construction Corp. said it plans to operate the EDSA Busway as soon as the government offers the project to the private sector.

Megawide hopes to follow its experience from running the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) in its bid to become the private operator of the EDSA Busway.

PITX head of corporate affairs and government relations Jason Salvador said Megawide would aim to obtain the right to operate and maintain the EDSA Busway once it is turned over to the private sector.

“The government has been talking about it, that it will privatize the EDSA Busway operations. If it is serious in that, then maybe we can consider it,” Salvador said.

Salvador said Megawide has the capability to head both the bus operations and terminal development of the EDSA Busway based on its handling of the PITX. The PITX can accommodate up to 200,000 passengers daily and facilitates the deployment of buses to and from Metro Manila and other areas.

Salvador added Megawide also plans to submit an unsolicited proposal to build an integrated terminal exchange in Caloocan City to create an EDSA bus loop from Monumento to PITX.

“We are trying to look for one (in the north) because the EDSA carousel stops at PITX. It has no counterpart on the other side. That’s the ideal. We are trying to look for a space. We are trying to develop something there,” Salvador said.

Salvador said should this idea come to fruition, Megawide would be in the best position to operate the EDSA Busway to control the deployment of buses to the benefit of commuters.

“Ideally, it should be yours (EDSA Busway) because you control the dispatching. Right now, the reason there is a bit of congestion is that you are at the mercy of bus operators. Of course, these bus operators have their own schemes. Some of them may opt not to go to your place to ply a route out of line,” Salvador said.

“You don’t have control over that, but if you operate the busway you can. In turn, passengers will have reliability in terms of schedule and availability of buses,” Salvador said.

Currently, Megawide has plans to build an integrated terminal exchange in Monumento and start the ₱5 billion development of the second lot of the PITX that spans 2.7 hectares and will expand by at least 1.8 hectares to allot more area for buses.

Source: Philstar