Metro Manila's roads were built for cars.
Its people aren't.
Car travel accounts for just 30% of person-km traveled in Metro Manila — but it takes up 72% of road traffic. A single bus moves 80–150 people in the space of 2–3 cars. The math works against the majority of road users every single day.
The bus system that exists today was structured by LTFRB rules written in 1987. Routes are created when an operator finds them profitable — not when a planner finds them necessary. There is no network. There is no map. There is no single authority accountable for the whole.
Metro Manila ranked worst in global traffic in 2023, per the TomTom Traffic Index — beating 386 cities across 55 countries.
Buses stuck in the same gridlock
Without dedicated lanes or signal priority, city buses share lanes with private vehicles. They stop anywhere, follow no fixed schedule, and offer no reliability advantage over driving.
No network — only disconnected routes
Commuters stitch together transfers with no guarantee of connection. There is no unified map, no single card, no system logic. Every ride is a gamble against time and chance.