Manila, The Philippines


In Metro Manila, ITP has completed the following projects:

  • Ortigas Avenue BRT Pre-Feasibility Study – a study establishing the outline viability of BRT.
  • Quezon Avenue BRT Feasibility Study – a detailed study developing all aspects of BRT.
  • C5 Public Transport Study – investigation of the potential to introduce bus services along C5 in order to test new forms of regulation and demonstrate high quality transport.
  • Road Transit Rationalisation Study – a survey of all road transit and the development of a rationalised hierarchical network.
  • Metro Manila GTFS – the mapping of public transport in GTF (Google Transit Feed) format for display and interrogation of the network in open source.
  • Makati-Taguig BRT Review – an investment review of the private sector proposal for BRT.
  • Intramuros Accessibility Strategy – development of an accessibility strategy for the historic core of Manila.
  • Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) – identified operational changes and recommend solutions to make PITX a better transport interchange.

The development of a BRT system for Quezon Avenue-España Boulevard in Metro Manila demonstrates a thorough approach to urban public transport planning and management. This project seeks to optimise vehicle throughput by examining the use of infrastructure and how optimisation could be achieved. At its centre is segregated high-quality public transport using BRT principles. A key component is the migration of seven PUJ (jeepneys) and two bus franchises to a new form of quality-based contract supported by availability payments on a per-km travelled basis. How this new form of contract is administered and procured has been investigated and debated, through workshops, both in terms of institutional support and legal mechanisms.

Our work on the BRT was followed by the Metro Manila Road Transit Rationalization Study (RTRS), which was funded by the World Bank in collaboration with the Philippine Government in 2013/14. It mapped out the appropriate level of road-based mass transit across Metro Manila, considering high capacity BRT, trunk routes, primary direct routes and feeder routes in the Metropolitan area and compared this to demand. 

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The evidence-based approach led to a definition of a new demand-led public transport network consisting of a hierarchy of public transport services with Light Rail/Metro at the top supported by a BRT network, in turn, supported by a distribution network of conventional buses supported by small buses (jeepneys). Our recommendations are being implemented through DOTr's through its ongoing work to design and build new mass rapid transit corridors across Metro Manila.