By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz | Philippine News Agency
Seventeen stations of the Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) Busway are now equipped with free Wi-Fi, through a partnership between the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
During the launch in Quezon City on Thursday, DICT Sec. Henry Aguda said the program is in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s order to improve both transport systems and passenger experience in public transport.
To date, the free Wi-Fi service is available at the stations of Balintawak, Kaingin Road, Fernando Poe Jr./Roosevelt, SM North EDSA, North Avenue, Philam, Quezon Avenue, Kamuning, Nepa Q-Mart, Main Avenue, Ortigas, Buendia, Ayala, Tramo, Taft Avenue, Roxas Boulevard, and SM Mall of Asia.
“Gusto po natin ang Wi-Fi experience ay maganda. Ngayon po, inuna na namin i-launch ngayon para makagamit na kayo ng electronic payment,” Aguda said.
He noted that the bandwidth available for the free Wi-Fi service in these stations is limited and is only usable for accessing e-wallets, messaging services, or web browsing.
However, fiber connectivity will be installed in these stations by March, and the bandwidth will improve, making it usable for video streaming.
“For now, use it wisely. Use it for digital payment, use it for chat apps, and pagbasa ng email, pwede po yan,” he said.
For concerns or issues with the Wi-Fi service, he called on passengers to reach out to the DICT through its hotline 1326 or through their website and social media.
DOTr Sec. Giovanni Lopez thanked Aguda and the rest of the DICT for the program, noting that the Wi-Fi would complement the recently launched GCash payment system for the EDSA Busway.
“Kung gusto niyo po magbayad through GCash or other e-wallets, hindi niyo po kailangan gamitin ang inyong mobile data. Makakatipid po kayo,” Lopez said.
He highlighted the program as a good example of cooperation among government agencies to provide more effective and improved public service.
In December, the DOTr launched the e-payment system for the EDSA Busway, providing passengers with another payment option in addition to cash.
Last year, the DICT and the DOTr also launched free WiFi at all Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) stations to support the MRT-3’s push for improved passenger experience and e-payments at the rail service.
