THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) said it is eyeing to bid out the NCR EDSA Busway Project by 2025.

"Within the next few months, we will finalize the feasibility study for EDSA Busway, and we will submit it to NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority)," Timothy John Batan, DoTr Undersecretary for Planning and Project Development, said.

"We'll get approvals, and then we'll eventually bid it out [next year]," he added.

The DoTr and the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center on March 8 launched a market-sounding activity to engage potential private sector partners for this crucial infrastructure project in the National Capital Region (NCR/Metro Manila).

The activity sought to provide an overview of the proposed PPP project, gather initial feedback and valuable insights from private sector participants, and identify potential issues or concerns affecting project viability.

The potential responsibility of the private sector partner could encompass financing, design, construction, operations, and maintenance of upgraded bus stations and facilities, procurement of bus fleet, and operations and maintenance of busway systems.

The market-sounding activity was attended by approximately 60 private sector participants and five government agencies.

On April 5, 2023, the PPP Center and DoTr signed a technical assistance agreement for the provision of project preparation and transaction advisory services, funded through the Project Development and Monitoring Facility managed by the PPP Center.

The feasibility study of the project is targeted to be finished by midyear.

The NCR EDSA Busway Project involves the financing, design and construction of enhanced bus stations operations control centers and parking depots, and the purchase, operations and maintenance of a high-capacity busway plying through EDSA (Circumferential Road 4) and other major and feeder roads.

The project is expected to enhance the existing EDSA Carousel to address the high demand for transportation services along the median of EDSA and feeder roads by increasing its capacity and service reliability.

The project may also involve the introduction of electric buses, reducing the carbon emissions along heavily trafficked corridors of Metro Manila.