Public transport modernization plan in the works
The city government is pursuing its plan to modernize the city’s public transportation system with the goal of making private car usage irrelevant, according to Mayor Benjamin Magalong.
The mayor said the city is open to offers for smart mobility and transportation system ventures through public-private partnership schemes.
One company, the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), which served its intention to submit an unsolicited proposal on the PPP project, briefed the mayor and other department heads last July 18 on the partial results of the feasibility study it is conducting on the venture.
MPTC Vice President Mark De Leon and Mobility Road Head Leong Hin Cheong of ST Engineering (STE), MPTC’s consultant, presented updates on the financial and technical studies they are conducting.
They said that if the venture materializes, it will be the first of such projects to be implemented in the country.
The mayor tasked the company to present the initial findings to the stakeholders in the city particularly the transport groups, tourism and business sectors, commuters, city councils and other groups in appropriate engagements.
“This is to properly explain to the stakeholders and the public what a smart mobility and transportation system is, its concepts and dynamics. It will be best if people have an understanding of the project before the PPP process takes off,” he said.
The stakeholders’ engagement and subsequent presentation to the city council have been set for August.
The mayor said the smart mobility goal is aimed at providing a long-term solution to the city’s perennial traffic problem by modernizing the public transport system to make it so efficient that people would have reduced need to use private transport.
He said that with the modernized system, traffic will be managed by an integrated artificial intelligence (AI)-powered system that will monitor traffic conditions and direct solutions to ensure equitable distribution of public utility vehicles.
A command center will oversee the traffic conditions in areas including intersections and staging areas through tracking systems to ensure that vehicles are available where they are needed.
Aside from addressing traffic congestion, the program will also cover management of traffic violations and improve road discipline. – Aileen P. Refuerzo