The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said Monday the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (Edsa) busway and its 16 bus stops will be fully operational by September.

In a Laging Handa briefing, MMDA spokesperson, Assistant Secretary Celine Pialago, said 9,000 concrete barriers are set to be delivered within the week for the busway, while elevators for handicapped commuters have passed inspection and are ready to be installed.

“Natapos na yung inspection sa mga nasabing bus stops—anytime, ang target time po ay September, fully operational na po lahat ng 16 bus stops natin sa kahabaan ng EDSA (We have finished the inspection for the said bus stops—anytime soon, our target is September, the 16 bus stops along Edsa will be fully operational),” Pialago said.

Before the busway is fully operational, she said commuters will also get the chance to use some of the bus stops that are already complete.

“Gradual po ang magiging opening ng mga nasabing bus stops. Isa-isa ho, kung ano na ang matatapos, yun na ho yung ipapagamit natin sa ating mga buses para magamit na rin ng ating mga commuters (We will open the bus stops gradually—one at a time, whatever is complete will be used by buses and their passengers),” Pialago said.

Currently, she said four bus stops along the median lanes of Edsa are operational — in Santolan, Ortigas, Guadalupe, and Main Avenue.

Following the return to operation of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) last week, she said commuters continue to prefer using buses.

“Nakakatuwa po dahil ang ating mga commuter mas pinili po na gamitin ang ating mga buses, nakita po nila ang kagandahan ng Edsa busway (It’s heartening to see commuters preferring to use buses, they see the beauty of the Edsa busway),” Pialago said.

Currently, she said a total of 550 buses use the Edsa busway—including buses that serve as part of the MRT-3 augmentation service.

In addition, she said more than 150 additional buses could be dispatched depending on the needs of commuters.

During the first half of July, she said the busway was 80-percent complete, with the travel time for buses in Edsa decreasing from an average of two to three hours to only 45 minutes including bus stops. (PNA)