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The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is evaluating potential sites of a modern transportation terminal in northern Metro Manila, patterned after the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).
Transportation Undersecretary Mark Steven Pastor said the proposed transport hub is currently undergoing a feasibility study under the DOTr.
Pastor expects findings of the study to be presented and reviewed by the agency within the end of the year. Based on the study, the DOTr will determine the site for the project.
“We want it to be based on science and it should be technologically sound so as we can locate a particular area that will serve and cater to the commuters for the northern part of the NCR (National Capital Region),” he told reporters.
Former Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the transport hub will be built in an area that would connect directly to two major railway projects, the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) and the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR).
Designed to be a multi-modal terminal like PITX in southern Metro Manila, its northern counterpart is expected to connect passengers to in-city and provincial buses, taxis, and other public utility vehicles (PUVs).
Once constructed, the project will be the first integrated terminal exchange in the northern area of the capital region. While in the south, there are already two—the PITX and the under-construction Taguig City Integrated Terminal Exchange (TCITX).
Apart from location, Pastor said the study will also look into a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement for the project.
“We are also studying now if we can partner with one of the private operators in the north so that it can have connectivity and accessibility with the busway,” he said.
Bautista said last year that the DOTr was in talks with local bus company Victory Liner for a possible PPP to build an integrated terminal exchange in northern Metro Manila.
Bautista, who resigned from his post over health reasons, heavily push for PPP of the country’s major transport infrastructure.
He was particularly aggressive in pushing the private sector to take over the operations and maintenance (O&M) of the EDSA Busway.
The push to privatize one of Metro Manila’s most important transport links was continued by Bautista’s successor, Vince Dizon, and Dizon’s eventual replacement, acting DOTr chief Giovanni Lopez.
While he did not elaborate on the privatization plan, Pastor said the focus under Lopez-led DOTr is to first rehabilitate and upgrade all stations of the busway by 2026.
“So the intention is for all the bus stops to have a uniform appearance and accessibility so that if ever we will push through to privatization, the busway already looks good,” he said.
Pastor said the agency is planning to expand the busway’s operations, further increasing capacity on the critical transportation along Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfare.
“We want to have a connecting feeder route to the main trunk line so that we can cater more passengers,” he added.
With 500 buses and 24 stations, the EDSA busway has a daily average of 200,000 commuters.
