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Improving Public Transport:

BRT Development in the
Philippines
Cresencio Dayo Montalbo Jr.
Assoc. Professor, School of Urban & Regional Planning
Faculty Fellow, National Center for Transportation Studies
University of the Philippines
Asian Public Policy Center Conference
Ho Chin Minh Cty, Vietnam
June 5-6, 2014
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Outline of Presentation
Urban transport situation
Comparison of mass transit options
Lessons from international experience
BRT as public transport reform
BRT development in Philippine cities
Opportunities & Challenges for BRT in the Philippines
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Traffic Congestion
Environment
Energy
Urban transport problems
Huge investments and long
implementations times for rail-based
systems
Road Safety
P105B (2.6% of GDP)
BRT as alternative mass
transit system
Public Transport Quality
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Lloyd Wright
BRT is a surface metro system
that can be delivered at a
fraction of the cost of rail.
Segregated, median busways
with median stations
Pre-board fare collection and
fare verification
Free transfers between
corridors
Competitively bid concessions
High frequency service and low
station dwell times, adherence
to set SCHEDULE
Clean bus technologies
Modal integration
Identity & Image
Incremental Development
What is BRT?
Some Features
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Source: GTZ, BRT
Planning Guide
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The economics of mass transit
426 kilometers of BRT!
14 kilometers of elevated rail
Source: Lloyd Wright
How much transit
does Php 43 billion
(US$ 1 billion) buy?
7 kilometers of subway/ metro
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Lessons from international experience
Lagos BRT Lite
Johannasburgs Rea Vaya
Jakartas TransJakarta
Delhi Busway
Ahmeddabads Janmarg
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Lessons learned
Political, governance, and planning context
Institutional issues
Meaningful public transport reform
Institutional capacity, structures, organizations
Need for identified corridors
Need for champions from various sectors
Public transport system integration
Integration with other modes including NMT is indispensable
Process begins with user needs identification, understanding of travel demand,
development of service plan, and identification of needed infrastructure
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BRT planning process
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Lessons learned (2)
Operating arrangements
Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) manages the day-to-day operations of the system
while outsourcing different aspects of operations to qualified entities
Bus services usually provided by qualified bus operators some of which are
incumbent operators, paid on gross-cost contract
Entirely different business model!
Finance
Infrastructure provided by the government
Buses provided by operators who are paid on gross-cost contract
Recurring costs from farebox & other sources
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Lessons learned (3)
Communications
Need to make people understand BRT and its benefits
Different messages for different audiences
Sense of ownership & sense of accountability
Branding
Captures and conveys BRTs message
Represents an image and a promise
Aims to erase stigma of public transport use
There are soft aspects of BRT that shape its
sustainability aside from physical infrastructure.
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BRT as Public Transport Reform
Not just a new mass transit system
Creates opportunities for meaningful public transport reform
Capacity development of institutions
Integration with other public transport modes
Attainment of order from erstwhile chaos
Improvement of public transport system
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BRT Development in the Philippines
Cebu City
Metro Manila
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TransCebu
A segregated busway between Bulacao and Ayala Mall
Stations and terminals along the segregated busway route
A depot for the garaging of buses designated to operate as BRT services
An Area Traffic Control (ATC) System to facilitate priority run times within the
corridor and give city wide benefits of improved traffic flow
An open service plan that ensures that while infrastructure is limited to that
between Bulacao and Ayala, BRT services operate beyond this. Specifically in
the case of Ayala Mall to Talamban where bus passage will be facilitated by
bus priority measures where required and where achievable within the
confines of the roadway.
Traffic management measures to improve traffic flow outside of the corridor
that are seen to complement the BRT and maximize its impact
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The Cebu City BRT Project
Segregated busway: Bulacao CBD -
Ayala Mall
BRT services operating to:
SRP
Talamban
Tabunok/Talisay
City Wide Area Traffic Control
Traffic management
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Service Plan
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Interchange with jeepneys
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TransCebu (2)
Parking management measures that will similarly complement BRT and
improve traffic flow
Interchange improvements to offer enhancement to the level of service
received by all public transport passengers irrespective of whether they use
BRT or not
Urban planning improvements consisting of public realm enhancements and
enhanced integration of transport and land use.

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Station lay-out
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Cebu BRT Project Objectives
Improved mobility of people in Cebu
Viable and sustainable BRT
More efficient travel
Revitalised urban area along BRT
corridor
More environment-friendly travel
Safer travel
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Metro Manila Corridor Improvement Project
Source: Google Earth 2012
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Scheme Objectives
To offer significant improvement in public transport and accessibility better
level of service efficiently delivered
To implement in short time period at least start by 2016
Why Quezon Avenue
Relatively wide
High public transport use
Only two LGUs
Integration with MRT
No major issues
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Just 1 PUB service
Operated by 25 different companies
Consisting of 258 vehicles (50:50 A/C non
A/C)
PUB Service directly
impacting upon the
corridor
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Scheme Concept (Quality+Deliverability)
Work with PUV services that offer direct competition:
9 PUJ routes (361 operators and 430 units)
1 PUB route (25 operators and 258 buses)
Infrastructure where most needed: Philcoa - Manila City Hall
.. but services running from Fairview (north of the segregated
portion) to prevent the need for passenger interchange
Infrastructure within existing Right of Way
Retention of as many trees as possible.
Manage key risk elements:
Social impact
Environmental impact
Acquisition issues
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Between Philcoa and Manila City
Hall a high level of physical
segregation
Underpass for express
Emphasis on key interchanges
Station spacing related to
delivery and role of residual
PUJ network
Between Philcoa and Fairview
Mix with traffic
Stop improvements
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Phased Implementation
At outset just 9 PUJ routes and 1 PUB route affected
PUJ still have a role
As congestion degrades run times of PUJ/PUB priority bus
becomes more attractive
Infrastructure upgrade at/around year 10
Additional stations
Passing lanes at stations
To replace ALL existing PUV
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Opportunities & Challenges for BRT in
the Philippines
Opportunities
Recognition of BRT as part of the governments National Environmentally
Sustainable Transport (NEST) Framework
Availability of funds for planning & development
Opportunities for private sector participation
Need and desire for quicker solutions
Vibrant and lively social media
Challenges
Constant need to change peoples mindsets
Traditional preference for expensive and slow-to-implement mass transit solutions
Lack of understanding of land use-transport integration benefits
Conflicts with the private car sector
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Are we ready for BRT?
We do not inherit the earth from
our ancestors,
we borrow it from our children.
~Native American Proverb
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