Labor group opposes planned privatization of EDSA Bus Carousel

MANILA: A labor group expressed its appreciation with the upcoming return of the government's Libreng Sakay program.

Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) National Chairperson Rene Magtubo, however, condemned the EDSA Bus Carousel system's proposed privatization.

He said that privatizing the EDSA Bus Carousel will lead to higher fares without better service. “We should have learned our lessons from the epic fail of electricity and water privatization. Electricity rates in the country are the highest in Asia and water concessionaires cannot even provide 24/7 service,” he added.

According to Magtubo, the free ride helped working people save money and time on their commute and changing the system into a cooperative-run busway may result in an alternative economy and a synergy to both the cooperative workers and the commuting public instead of the traditional “seller-buyer” connection under the privately-run utilities over the last several decades.

Magtubo said that the labor movement opposes the notion that a privatized transportation system should be a global norm and believes that privatization is not a cure-all for the current public transportation issues.

According to an announcement made by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Thursday, the government's Service Contracting program has received PHP1.285 billion this year as part of the DOTr budget.

The free ride program came to an end on December 31, 2022 due to budget concerns.

Photo from Department of Transportation

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