MEGAWIDE Construction Corp. said the partial operations of the P1.87-billion Cavite Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project are expected to start by September this year.

“Construction will start by the second quarter and partial operations will begin by September,” Megawide President and Chief Executive Officer Edgar B. Saavedra told reporters on Friday last week.

“The partial operations will go from Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) to Imus and to Trece Martires,” he added.

Mr. Saavedra said the Cavite BRT project would be fully operational around three and a half years after the start of partial operations in September.

“Traffic will take time to build up. It will take around two years to complete all of the facilities. But we will start even if there are no stations yet. We can do bus sheds,” he said.

The Cavite project will have a dedicated lane, allowing for shorter travel time, he noted.

“It will be scheduled trips regardless of whether the bus is full or not. Minimum 50-60% cut in travel time,” he said.

Mr. Saavedra estimated that the Cavite BRT project will start with less than 10,000 passengers daily.

“We hope to build it up to 50,000 daily in two to three years. It will also depend on the progress of Cavite,” he said.

On Jan. 9, Megawide announced that it secured the contract from the Office of the Provincial Governor of the Province of Cavite to construct and develop the Cavite BRT project.

The project is a joint venture between Megawide and property development company Maplecrest Group, Inc.

The Public-Private Partnership Center website said the Cavite BRT project covers the development, operation, and maintenance of a bus rapid transit and P2P (point-to-point) route with an alignment of 42 kilometers stretching through Imus, General Trias, Tanza, Kawit, Trece Martires, and its surrounding areas, while also providing a link to Metro Manila via the PITX.

Megawide shares were last traded on Jan. 17 at P2.6 apiece. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave