MANILA — The Department of Transportation plans to improve the EDSA carousel system with additional bus stations, CCTV cameras, and solar panels, an official said Wednesday.

The agency eyes adding bus stations in "heavy volume areas", said Transportation Undersecretary Mark Steven Pastor.

"Papalawakin ang existing stations tulad ng nasa Guadalupe, Bagong Barrio at Monumento. Bukod dito mag-iinstall din tayo ng lifters sa ating mga bus stops upang mas maging accessible tayo sa senior citizen at persons with disability," Pastor said during a public briefing.

(We will expand existing stations like those in Guadalupe, Bagong Barrio and Monumento. We will also install lifters at our bus stops so they will be more accessible to senior citizens and persons with disability.)

"Patuloy din tayong maglalagay ng CCTV upang ma-monitor ang ating daily operations. At isa ring importanteng innovation ay ang pagkabit ng solar panels sa mga istasyon para maging environment-friendly ang ating source of kuryente," he added.

(We will also continue installing CCTVs to monitor our daily operations. And another important innovation is the installation of solar panels at our stations so that our source of electricity will be more environment-friendly.)

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The DOTr is expected to permit more buses to participate in the program, said Pastor.

There are 550 authorized buses plying the EDSA carousel system, which has 13 stops, the official noted.

"Tinitignan pa kung dadagdagan pa natin lalo na sa 'ber' months dahil dinadagsa talaga ng kababayan ang NCR at lalong-lalo na ang EDSA busway dala ng libreng sakay," he said.

(We are looking at whether we should add more especially in the 'ber' months because many of our kababayans go to NCR and use the EDSA busway because of free rides.)

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Traffic marshals randomly board buses to ensure adherence to COVID-19 protocols, Pastor said. Anti-coronavirus masks, which are optional in non-crowded outdoor spaces, are still required in public utility vehicles.

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The EDSA busway ferries about 335,000 passengers a day, the transportation department earlier said.

The Management Association of the Philippines has been pushing for the privatization of the busway to help improve public transportation in the country.

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