MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday revived the Metro Manila “Love Bus,” with six electric buses set to provide free rides between Robinsons Galleria and Eastwood City starting Thursday, Sept. 10.
First Lady Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos led the inauguration of the revived service at the MMDA headquarters in Pasig City, together with MMDA Chairman Don Artes and other government and private-sector officials.
Each of the six buses can carry 36 passengers and will operate daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. along eastbound and westbound routes connecting Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas Avenue, C5 and Eastwood City.
MMDA said it was studying proposals to expand the service to underserved routes while ensuring that the free buses would not compete with existing public transportation franchises.
“Since rides are free, we need to ensure that the ‘Love Bus’ won’t compete with route franchises and that there are passengers to be served and no public transportation will be affected,” Artes said.
Proposed future routes include Makati City Hall-Mandaluyong City Hall-Pasig City Hall, Estancia West Wing-Uptown Transport Terminal, and Eastwood Mall-UP Diliman.
MMDA is also purchasing additional Love Bus units to accommodate more passengers.
The revived Love Bus service traces its origins to the 1970s. The six buses currently in operation are zero-emission electric units donated by Robinsons Mall, Megaworld, the City of Antipolo and the provincial government of Rizal, the agency said.