DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 12 July)—The environment group Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) hopes the government will prioritize hybrid buses over conventional diesel-powered buses when it implements the P73.37-billion Davao Public Transport Modernization Project to reduce carbon emission.
Last July 1, the government signed a $1-billion (P54.89 billion) loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to finance the implementation of the city-wide public transport modernization project, also known as the High Priority Bus System (HPBS).
Lemuel Manalo, an environmental planner who is also IDIS program coordinator, told MindaNews that he is wary of the impact of using conventional buses as they could increase carbon emission.
While Manalo welcomes the government’s move to modernize public transportation in the city, he said that hybrid buses—such as electric-powered or solar-powered—are the “greener options” and thus should be prioritized in Davao’s streets.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the total cost of the project is P73.37 billion to be shared by the national government, local government of Davao City, and ADB.
He said it would start within the third quarter of 2023.
In a press statement issued on June 29, the ADB announced that the project would “deploy electric bus fleets at scale in support of the Philippines’ efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and promote climate action.”
It said the loan would “support the procurement of a modern fleet comprised of about 1,100 electric and Euro 5-standard diesel-fueled buses with operations managed by the private sector under performance-based contracts.”
It said the new fleet is expected to reduce 60% of annual greenhouse gas emissions from public transport in Davao City, the country’s third-largest city by population.
It added that the HPBS would service about 800,000 passengers per day.
According to ADB, it would also include the “construction of around 1,000 bus stops with bright lighting and shelters, 5 bus depots and 3 bus terminals, and provide bus driving training for the new system.”
“The project will upgrade the city’s public transport experience via an intelligent transport system that includes a bus location system, automatic fare collection systems, and Wi-Fi connectivity in buses, terminals, and depots,” it added.
Manalo said that shifting to mass transit is urgently needed and necessary for developing cities like Davao in order to ease the current transportation crisis, affecting commuters particularly during rush hour and holiday season.
However, Manalo said the buses must be closely monitored because megacities like Manila, Jakarta in Indonesia, and Bangkok in Thailand are troubled by their bus systems because they are already dominating the highways, choking intersections and loading areas, and causing traffic congestion and air pollution.
“On the positive side, buses are forms of mass transit. Shifting to mass transit also saves road spaces to loosen traffic and decrease car dependency,” he said.
He said commuters—particularly the differently abled, seniors, and pregnant women—“deserve a safe, comfortable, affordable and highly-accessible public transport.”
Manalo added that he hopes this city should design the roads to become “transit-oriented” to effectively transport and enable commuters to move around the city, not just the vehicles.
He said mass transit like buses and monorails must be complemented with alternative mobility like bicycles, scooters, and other light mobility vehicles (LMVs).
He said the city should provide more options for public transport, so that its citizens don’t need to rely on private vehicles, considering the increase in fuel prices and limited capacity of the current road networks.
Manalo added that the buses should have carriers for LMVs to promote “bimodal transportation” where commuters could bring along their bikes or scooters on board, similar to the “transportation culture in the Netherlands,” which is also being pushed by some groups in Metro Manila. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
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