The Department of Budget and Management announced that Filipino commuters can still benefit from free rides this year. The government allotted ₱1.285 billion for transport subsidies under service contracting.
Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said the transport subsidy was included in the 2023 budget.
The service contracting program provides free bus rides, including the EDSA bus carousel. This is the same serving contracting program that created free jeepney rides last 2020 at the height of the pandemic.
Pangandaman said, “We understand the plight of our commuting public. And so President Bongbong Marcos gave us a directive to do our part, and to exert our best to help ease their burden. The service contracting program, which funds Libreng Sakay is a big help.”
Transport authorities’ report said that the EDSA bus carousel alone served more than 164 million commuters as of Dec. 27, 2022.