CS Knowledge Base

The EDSA Carousel, also known as Route 1 and formerly and still referred to as Route E, is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system, part of several bus routes in Metro Manila.^[2] It is situated along EDSA (C-4 Road) and other roads, running on a dedicated right-of-way called the EDSA Busway, separated from normal road traffic in most of its stretch by concrete barriers and steel bollards on the innermost lane.^[3]

Interim operations began on June 1, 2020, serving as a replacement of the former bus routes along EDSA, acting as an augmentation service to the MRT Line 3 due to the limited capacity restrictions put in place by the general community quarantine in Metro Manila as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines.^[4] Full operations began later on July 1, 2020. Intended to be largely served by bus stops along the median, some stops are temporarily served by bus stops on the curbside.^[3][5][6]

The EDSA Carousel carries up to 300,000 passengers daily.^[7] It is operated by the Mega Manila Consortium Corporation and ES Transport and Partners Consortium under the supervision of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).^[8]

Due to the increasing number of passengers as restrictions are slowly being relaxed, volumes of passengers began to increase as well. In the wake of increasing inflation and world market movements affecting currency values, free rides for the EDSA Carousel were announced for the remaining months of then-President Rodrigo Duterte's term. Upon Bongbong Marcos's assumption of the presidency, free rides were extended until the end of 2022, in spite of budgetary concerns.^[19][20] However, the free rides introduced problems of ridership capacity and the amount of buses available to serve passengers during rush hours.

Proposals to privatize the operations of the EDSA Carousel to further improve its services were explored. Transportation secretary Jaime Bautista in 2022 stated that the DOTr is open to such proposals, adding these must be "explored expeditiously."^[21]

In 2025, Bautista stated that the DOTr aims to turn over the operations and maintenance of the EDSA Busway and EDSA Carousel to a private operator by 2026, with a feasibility study being completed within the next few months.^[22]

On February 25, 2025, a day after riding the EDSA Carousel from Ortigas to Monumento, newly-appointed Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon noted several needed solutions and improvements for the operations of the EDSA Carousel. He emphasized the need for a stricter dispatch system along Monumento and PITX bus stations to ensure timeliness and prevent bus congestion. Dizon also highlighted the lack of wayfinding in stations connected to the MRT-3, faulty timers in some stations, unsuitable railing stops, and broken elevators.^[23]

Because of these planned upgrades, the proposals to privatize the EDSA Carousel were postponed to 2026 or 2027 to allow for the construction of the new concourses in all existing stations as part of the long-term proposals to modernize the system.^[24][25] Dizon also announced that the rehabilitation of stations would begin later in 2025, starting with the first phase involving the renovation of the Monumento, Bagong Barrio, North Avenue, and Guadalupe stops.^[26]

Since the line's opening in June 2020, the total ridership of the line was 130,238,608 commuters within June 2020 to November 2022. From June to December 2020, total ridership has reached a daily average 41,000 to 60,000 passengers,^[27] and continued to rise throughout 2021, wherein the daily average of commuters using the line is 129,000 passengers,^[28] with its highest record reaching 160,000 passengers in June 2021.^[29] Total ridership in 2021 reached 47,104,197.^[28]

In 2022, the line's highest record reached a total of 404,010 passengers on October 24, 2022, while the average daily ridership through the year is 389,579 passengers. Total ridership also increased to a new record high, as the line served 80,832,186 passengers.^[30][31] In 2024, the daily passenger average of the EDSA Carousel for the year reached a total of 177,000 passengers, while the total annual ridership of the EDSA Carousel reached a total of 63,022,953 passengers.^[32] In 2025, the total annual ridership of the EDSA Carousel reached a total of 66,669,287 passengers, which is 5.79% higher compared to 2024's total ridership.^[1]

The DOTr reported in 2026 that the EDSA Carousel moves up to 300,000 passengers daily.^[7]

The line initially had 15 bus stops on its interim launch,^[17] with additional stops added in the following months.^[33][34] As of March 13, 2025, 24 bus stops are currently operational.^[35] There are 87 operators and 751 authorized buses that serve the entire route.^[31]

Selected stops of the Busway also runs parallel to the MRT Line 3 and the northern section of the LRT Line 1. Plans are also underway to expand the Busway system by improving the accessibility and connectivity on various bus stops to nearby transport networks.

List of stops

Name[26]	Distance (km)		Type[47]	Connections	Location
	Between stops	Total
Monumento	—	0.00	Median (via footbridge)	Manila LRT Monumento Bus Routes  9   14   35   37   42   54  Monumento	Caloocan
Bagong Barrio	0.55	0.55		Bus Routes  9   37  Bagong Barrio
Balintawak	1.55	2.10		Manila LRT Balintawak Bus Routes  5   8   9   13   19   20   21   22   37   38   40   52  Ayala Malls Cloverleaf	Quezon City
Kaingin Road	0.80	2.90		none
Roosevelt Fernando Poe Jr.	1.10	4.00		Manila LRT Fernando Poe Jr. Bus Routes  18   33   64  Fernando Poe Jr.
SM North EDSA	-	-		Manila LRT North Triangle Common Station Manila MRT North Avenue  MMS  North Triangle Common Station Bus Routes  18   33   64  SM North EDSA
North Avenue	1.50	5.50
Philam QC Ormoc	—	—		Manila MRT  MMS  Quezon Avenue
Quezon Avenue	—	6.80		Manila MRT Quezon Avenue  MMS  Quezon Avenue
Kamuning	—	—	Median (via footbridge and MRT station)	Manila MRT GMA-Kamuning Bus Routes  6A  NIA South Road
Nepa Q-Mart	—	8.6	Median (via footbridge)	Bus Routes  3  EDSA
Main Avenue	1.60	10.20		none
Santolan Santolan–Annapolis	0.80	11.00		Manila MRT Santolan–Annapolis
Ortigas SM Megamall	2.40	13.40	Median (via footbridge and MRT station)	Manila MRT Ortigas 4 EDSA Bus Routes  2  Robinsons Galleria	Mandaluyong
Guadalupe[a]	2.40	15.80	Median (via footbridge and MRT station)	Manila MRT Boni Guadalupe 5 Guadalupe Pasig River Ferry Service Guadalupe	Mandaluyong–Makati boundary
Buendia	—	—	Median (via footbridge)	Manila MRT Buendia Bus Routes  17   42  Buendia MRT	Makati
Ayala One Ayala	—	18.80	Curbside (northbound) Boarding Lane (southbound, inside One Ayala)	Manila MRT Ayala BGC Bus  EX01   L01   N01   NR17   NR01   W01   WR01   WR18  EDSA-Ayala Bus Routes  10   11   12   17   38   40   42   45   46   59  One Ayala  62   63  EDSA-Ayala
Tramo[b]	—	—	Median (via footbridge)	Manila MRT Taft Avenue EDSA	Pasay
Taft Avenue	—	22.00
Roxas Boulevard	—	—		Bus Routes  5   6   7   14   23   27   30   34   43   52  Double Dragon Plaza  22   35   45   46   47   49  Heritage Hotel
SM Mall of Asia	—	24.60	Curbside	Bus Routes  4   5   6   7   14   30   34   43   52  SM Mall of Asia
DFA Shell/Starbucks	—	—		Bus Routes  4   5   6   7   14   23   27   30   43   45   52  Bradco Avenue	Parañaque
Ayala Malls Manila Bay Aseana City	—	—		Bus Routes  4   5   6   7   14   23   27   30   34   43   52  City of Dreams / Ayala Malls Manila Bay
PITX	—	28.10	Terminal	Manila MRT  MMS  Asia World Manila LRT PITX Bus Routes  4   5   6   7   14   18   22   23   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   34   43   47   52   55  PITX
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EDSA_Carousel