San Miguel President Ramon Ang said Monday he was considering building a bus rapid transit systrem or BRT on the Skyway to give more options to commuters.
The BRT system on Skyway will resemble the point-to-point (P2P) bus system in the capital. A large number of passengers will be ferried at one time, stopping only at designated stations at set intervals.
"As early as 2017, we had already been considering the bus rapid transit system on the Skyway as a means to further decongest traffic in Metro Manila and transform the commuting experience of many Filipinos. In fact, we already announced plans for this back then," said SMC president Ramon Ang.
With Skyway 3 now open to motorists, SMC is looking to implement the BRT system from Susanna Heights in Muntinlupa, to Balintawak towards the North Luzon Expressway.
“While we are looking to implement this on the Skyway system from Susanna Heights to Balintawak, in the future, we can also implement this for our other new projects, in order to expand the area of coverage. Our expressways are really designed not just for motorists, but also to serve as a platform for efficient and sustainable mass transportation,” he emphasized.
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The Skyway 3 and all its expressway projects are aimed at decongesting major roads like EDSA and C-5 by diverting a significant number of vehicles to the Skyway System. While the Skyway aims to ease car traffic, the BRT system has always been part of the vision for Skyway 3, Ang said.
"Lessening the vehicles competing for road space is how elevated expressways ease traffic—as we have seen now on EDSA. This also means improving the daily commutes of Filipinos taking public transportation that use these roads," Ang explained, stating that the need for efficient transport systems requires more solutions.
The company is currently doing studies and formulating a plan, which will be presented to the Department of Transportation once ready.
According to Ang, the buses will run on a controlled expressway, meaning buses are barred from deviating from their course or from stopping just anywhere at any time.
