MANILA—Passengers of the EDSA Bus Carousel are in for a treat this December as the Department of Transportation decided to make EDSA Bus Carousel rides free of charge around the clock from December 15 to 31.

The free EDSA bus rides are currently limited from 4 a.m. until 11 p.m. Outside these hours, the fare is P13 for the first five kilometers and an additional P2.20 for every succeeding kilometer.

The route traverses from Caloocan City to PITX in Paranaque City, with 18 bus stops in between.

According to the DOTr, the EDSA Carousel busway has reduced the two-to-three-hour travel time for commuters from Pasay to Caloocan to an hour and a half.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the remaining budget for the program only allows them to offer the free ride service for half of December. The agency was allocated P1.4 billion to extend the project from September to December 2022.

The agency said that as much as they want to extend the free ride service next year, they have budgetary constraints. The Department of Budget and Management removed the proposed P12-billion budget for the free rides in the National Expenditure Program for 2023 submitted to Congress.

“Gusto sana namin magkaroon ng ganitong service contracting (free ride service). Nung hinihingi namin 'yan sa DBM namin 'yan ay hindi naman inbinigay samin … siguro because of limited budget also, posible pa rin ang Congress at Senate ay mag-allocate ng certain amount. Kung bibigyan kami ng ganitong budget ipapapatuloy namin ang programa namin on a limited basis,” Bautista said.

• LTFRB vows to pay EDSA Bus Carousel operators

The government pays around P10 to P12 million daily to bus concessionaires to run buses conveying over 300,000 passengers.

Bautista admitted they are two weeks behind in the payout of the concessionaires, but he assured the public that they will address the delays before the year ends.

“Kailangan i-process ng (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board) 'yung papel nila. Yung two weeks ay reasonable. Yung pagbabayad ay dapat gawin ng operators na yung tamang panahon na sweldo ng mga drivers at operators,” Bautista said.

The EDSA Bus Carousel was rolled out by the Duterte administration during the height of the pandemic and has been extended until this year.