The Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) ongoing efforts at improving the country’s mass transit system gets a boost from Sweden, starting with the EDSA Busway that serves almost 400,000 commuters on a daily basis.
Experts from Sweco (left) met with relevant government agencies to discuss improvements to the EDSA Busway
Consultants from Sweco International AB conducted an inspection of the busway bays at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) on Monday, February 13, accompanied by representatives of the DOTr’s Road Sector Division.
The team observed the PITX bus bays and traffic flow along the perimeter of the terminal. Afterwards, they met with DOTr Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark Steven Pastor to discuss initial recommendations aimed at improving the EDSA Busway. According to Pastor, the agency will take note of the team’s findings and apply them to improve the EDSA Busway’s service to commuters.
The team evaluated the project's current status in the field
Officials of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) previously met with the Swedish team on February 9 to discuss applicable road policies adopted at the EDSA Busway, as well as observing the use of the Central Public Utility Vehicle Monitoring System (CPUVMS).
This was followed by another meeting between Sweco and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) the next day, where initial findings of the study were presented, including proposed infrastructure designs for the busway stations.
More recently, the Swedish experts met with the DOTr’s Planning and Project Development Office along with Business Sweden on February 14, where further discussions over the findings of the study were conducted.
Among the recommendations are improvements to the existing station designs
The week-long evaluation of the bus transport system concluded with a presentation of the Swedish experts’ findings and recommendations to the relevant agencies led by DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista. Also in attendance was Annika Thunborg, Swedish ambassador to the Philippines.
This is part of a one-year study contract to provide technical support and evaluation for the EDSA Busway project, with financial support from Swedfund.
Keep up with more mobility news at Philkotse.com.