Historically, Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) has always been one of the most significant thoroughfares in the Philippines. Apart from bearing witness to a momentous revolution, it connects six of Metro Manila’s 17 cities and municipalities. Over the years, however, EDSA has also become infamous for its heavy traffic congestion, revealing the broader challenges of urban mobility in the capital region.
Combating this plaguing dilemma is the EDSA Carousel, a bus route traversing the entirety of the highway in its own dedicated lane, barricaded from the usual gridlock that paralyzes much of EDSA. Introduced in June 2020, the innovative busway operated fare-free until the start of 2023. Christiane Tia, a fraud representative, commutes almost daily from Cubao to Bonifacio Global City (BGC) using the Carousel. “It’s like night and day. On one side, there’s literally nothing passing through, and [in the bus lane] you just go like 80 miles per hour,” she shares astonishingly.
But with the anticipation of the EDSA Rebuild project, even the slightest possibility of the Carousel’s closure has stirred anxiety among daily commuters who have come to rely on its speed and efficiency as a rare reprieve from Metro Manila’s suffocating traffic jams.
The streets we call home
Metro Manila, home to almost 15 million people, has its population density felt most in its public transportation: cramped train cars, shoulder-to-shoulder jeeps, and bustling bus stations. In these hectic environments, the EDSA Carousel provides an incredibly essential service to the workers of the capital.
“Inside the bus, it is very comfortable if you get seated,” says Dominic Ucab, a software engineer, describing his trips home on the Carousel as a way to decompress after a tiring work day. For many commuters, public transit is the last leg of an arduous journey, something to signal the end of another rough day at work.
This is especially true for those who labor long after dark. As pointed out by Makati commuter Gieanne Maluto: “Buses can be found even during late nights,” referring to the EDSA Carousel’s 24/7 operations. In comparison, the LRT and MRT lines close their doors by around 10 pm.
More than convenience, the busway is also a matter of affordability. For the average commuter who may not afford their own private vehicle, it triumphs in terms of time and cost efficiency. “I’m sure that more people benefit [from the] bus lane than if we were to give it up for an extra lane for the cars,” Tia asserts. With every bus containing 60 passengers versus a car’s handful, more people are able to traverse through the Metro without slogging through the endless lines of parallel traffic.
Jumping on the Carousel
The existence of the EDSA Carousel demonstrates the insufficiencies of Metro Manila’s transportation options for commuters. Some see the Carousel as a mere band-aid solution; but for others, it is a life belt not to be tampered with.
Digging even deeper, such an attitude towards the bus lane underscores the capital region’s car-centric approach to urban planning and transportation. Ucab finds it “very unfair to say that because of the bus lane, it’s congested for the riders or the cars to go through.”
Meanwhile, Tia predicts that the bus lane’s proposed removal would likely lead to an increase in vehicular traffic, rather than help alleviate it. One lane would be freed up, but thousands of bus riders would look to private cars or motorcycles, multiplying the very agents of traffic and thus worsening such conditions.
Filling in deficiencies in Metro Manila’s transportation, the Carousel remains a primary point-to-point option for commuters like Tia who chooses to take the bus for its proximity to her home. “The MRT station is one tricycle [ride] away. So, you take a tricycle and then you walk [for] 10 minutes. [Meanwhile,] the bus station is like a two-minute walk,” she says. Maluto shares a similar experience, explaining, “Buses are more practical for me than the MRT as PITX is much closer to my residence in Cavite.”
Still, Tia points out the bus lanes’ many flaws. “You go through so many stairs and then you go through a footbridge. And then you go down five more flights of stairs to get to the bus stop just to cross the street,” as she narrates her usual hike through Ortigas Station. Such an issue should have been resolved with installed elevators, but these are often inoperable. This lack of accessibility affects disadvantaged commuters, especially the elderly and people with disabilities, as they are forced through a treacherous labyrinth of hurdles.
Rerouting toward change
For commuters, whether workers or students, the EDSA Carousel is more than just a daily ride; it is a lifeline. Maluto hopes that the currently available methods of transportation not only expand but also enforce policies to make the rides go smoother. “Buses are often overcrowded, and conductors still try to fit in more passengers. It would also help to add clearer signs and better security [measures],” she imparts.
Tia, on the other hand, echoes a larger concern: transportation planning often centers around already developed business districts while neglecting inner communities and less connected neighborhoods. “To only limit our train lines to those bigger cities is such a huge disservice to the inner communities of the city,” she conveys.
Ucab shares this sentiment, adding that decentralizing Metro Manila’s business districts must go hand in hand with streamlining the commuting experience. One of his key hopes is the implementation of a unified payment system across all modes of public transit. “[The] MRT and LRT [already use] Beep cards. [The government] might as well [implement] it in all buses [so] you can easily go through and not worry about getting change or physical money,” he suggests. Even with the promise of the Metro train fares allowing debit and credit cards as payment, this convenience is still not shared by the Carousel.
The three commuters emphasize how the story of the EDSA Carousel is more than just a debate over its lanes. It is a reflection of how we Filipinos value the time and dignity that go into commuting. While its flaws are real and in need of urgent fixing, the bus lane stands as a rare instance of public infrastructure working efficiently for the people who need it most. Because until our transportation systems learn to prioritize moving people over vehicles, the Philippines will keep going in circles—when what we really need is to move forward.
This article was published in The LaSallian‘s June 2025 issue. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSJune2025.
