MANILA, Jun 29 (NNN-PNA) – The Asian Development Bank (ADB), today approved a loan of one billion U.S. dollars, to help establish a city-wide public transport project in Davao City.
The project is the first in the country to deploy electric bus fleets at scale, in support of the Philippines’ efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and promote climate action.
The Davao Public Transport Modernisation Project, the ADB’s largest road-based public transport project in the Philippines, is expected to serve as a pilot for overhauling the country’s public road transport system.
The Manila-based bank said, the project will support procuring a modern fleet of about 1,100 buses, with private-sector operations, under performance-based contracts. The new fleet is expected to reduce 60 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions from public transport in Davao City, the country’s third-largest city by population.
“Not only will this support the Philippines’ climate goals, but it will help to improve the lives of vulnerable populations, especially women and the young, who use public transport daily,” said ADB Senior Transport Specialist for Southeast Asia, Shuji Kimura.
The ADB said, the project will service about 800,000 passengers per day. It also includes the construction of around 1,000 bus stops with bright lighting and shelters, five bus depots, and three bus terminals, and provides 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, added the ADB.
Since 2015, the ADB has provided project preparatory technical assistance to help Davao City plan for the new bus system, including a capacity development programme and a social development programme.– NNN-PNA
