PPA readies P800-M Pasig River ferry upgrade

Commuters could get another mode of transport when traveling around Metro Manila, as the Philippine Ports Authority pushes to improve the Pasig River Ferry System through an ₱800-million project.

- By ELIJAH FELICE ROSALES

The PPA is submitting a proposal, called the Pasig River Intermodal Transportation Project, to rehabilitate the ferry system along Pasig River.

PPA general manager Jay Santiago told The STAR his agency is ready to spend as much as ₱800 million every year for the deployment of watercraft, development of stations and dredging of the river.

The project takes inspiration from the Venetian public waterbuses known as Vaporetto, as it will offer ferry service in 18 terminals along the Pasig River. The project will cut the travel time from Escolta to Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City to just 30 minutes, from three hours currently.

If the PPA proposal is pursued, commuters will be provided with at least two kinds of ferry ride: a regular service that goes from station to station, and water taxis that can be booked to an exact destination. At the minimum, PPA will require all ferries to have an air conditioner.

Santiago said the PPA would deploy in every terminal a bus that would transfer passengers from the ferry to the nearest land transit option.