Sakay.ph is here to provide you with the latest fares, schedule, bus stops and some useful tips regarding the EDSA Carousel Busway program.
The EDSA Carousel is a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Metro Manila, Philippines. It has an exclusive right-of-way called the EDSA Busway, which is a dedicated lane for buses separated from normal road traffic by concrete barriers.
On January 2023, the EDSA Carousel's Libreng Sakay (free ride) program ended. All riders must now pay fees when boarding the bus service. As the resumption of the Libreng Sakay program has not yet been determined, many of you are likely curious about the cost of the rides. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has released the complete fare matrix for both northbound and southbound travels.
You can refer to the tables below for the full fare matrices.
EDSA Carousel Fare Matrix (SOUTH BOUND)
The southbound bus route (Monumento to PITX) has 21 stops and the prices range anywhere from PHP 15.00 to PHP 75.50.
Scroll to the right ➡ to see the rest of the table.
| ORIGIN | Monumento | Bagong Barrio | Balintawak | Kaingin | Roosevelt | North Avenue | Quezon Avenue | Nepa Q. Mart | Main Avenue | Santolan | Ortigas | Guadalupe | Buendia | One Ayala | Tramo | Taft Avenue | Roxas Boulevard | MoA | DFA/Starbucks | Ayala Malls Manila Bay | PITX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monumento | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.75 | 19.25 | 23.50 | 28.00 | 29.75 | 36.50 | 42.75 | 48.00 | 50.25 | 58.75 | 59.50 | 62.00 | 64.25 | 68.00 | 71.75 | 75.50 |
| Bagong Barrio | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.75 | 20.00 | 24.50 | 26.25 | 33.00 | 39.50 | 44.75 | 47.00 | 55.25 | 56.25 | 58.50 | 61.00 | 64.75 | 66.75 | 70.50 |
| Balintawak | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 18.25 | 22.75 | 24.50 | 31.25 | 37.50 | 42.75 | 45.00 | 53.50 | 54.25 | 56.75 | 59.00 | 62.75 | 65.00 | 68.75 |
| Kaingin | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 16.25 | 20.75 | 22.50 | 29.25 | 35.75 | 40.75 | 43.25 | 51.50 | 52.50 | 54.75 | 57.25 | 60.75 | 63.00 | 66.75 |
| Roosevelt | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 18.50 | 20.25 | 27.00 | 33.25 | 38.50 | 40.75 | 49.25 | 50.00 | 52.50 | 54.75 | 58.50 | 60.75 | 64.50 |
| North Avenue | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.75 | 22.50 | 28.75 | 34.00 | 36.25 | 44.75 | 45.50 | 48.00 | 50.25 | 54.00 | 56.25 | 60.00 |
| Quezon Avenue | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 19.00 | 25.50 | 30.75 | 33.00 | 41.25 | 42.25 | 44.50 | 47.00 | 50.50 | 52.75 | 56.50 |
| Nepa Q. Mart | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 21.00 | 26.25 | 28.50 | 37.00 | 38.00 | 40.25 | 42.75 | 46.25 | 48.50 | 52.25 |
| Main Avenue | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 20.00 | 22.25 | 30.75 | 31.50 | 34.00 | 36.25 | 40.00 | 42.25 | 46.00 |
| Santolan | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.75 | 24.00 | 25.00 | 27.25 | 29.75 | 33.25 | 35.50 | 39.25 |
| Ortigas | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 17.50 | 18.50 | 20.75 | 23.25 | 27.00 | 29.00 | 33.00 |
| Guadalupe | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.50 | 18.00 | 21.75 | 23.75 | 27.75 |
| Buendia | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.75 | 19.50 | 21.50 | 25.50 |
| One Ayala | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 17.00 |
| Tramo | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 16.00 |
| Taft Avenue | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 |
| Roxas Boulevard | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 |
| MoA | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 |
| DFA/Starbucks | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 |
| Ayala Malls Manila Bay | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 |
| PITX | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
EDSA Carousel Fare Matrix (NORTH BOUND)
There are 19 stops for commuters travelling north. The cheapest fee that will be charged is also PHP 15.00, while the longest trip (from PITX to Monumento) will cost PHP 73.00.
Scroll to the right ➡ to see the rest of the table.
| ORIGIN | PITX | City of Dreams | DFA | Roxas Boulevard | Taft Avenue | Ayala | Buendia | Guadalupe | Ortigas | Santolan | Main Avenue | Nepa Q. Mart | Quezon Avenue | North Avenue | Roosevelt | Kaingin | Balintawak | Bagong Barrio | Monumento |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PITX | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 24.00 | 26.50 | 31.50 | 38.00 | 44.75 | 46.50 | 51.25 | 55.50 | 59.00 | 63.50 | 65.75 | 67.75 | 69.50 | 73.00 |
| City of Dreams | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 17.75 | 20.00 | 25.00 | 31.50 | 38.25 | 40.00 | 44.75 | 49.00 | 52.50 | 57.00 | 59.25 | 61.25 | 63.25 | 66.50 |
| DFA | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 16.25 | 18.50 | 23.75 | 30.25 | 36.75 | 38.75 | 43.50 | 47.75 | 51.00 | 55.50 | 58.00 | 60.00 | 61.75 | 65.25 |
| Roxas Boulevard | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.75 | 21.00 | 27.50 | 34.25 | 36.00 | 40.75 | 45.00 | 48.50 | 53.00 | 55.25 | 57.25 | 59.00 | 62.50 |
| Taft Avenue | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 18.75 | 25.25 | 31.75 | 33.75 | 38.50 | 42.75 | 46.00 | 50.50 | 53.00 | 55.00 | 56.75 | 60.25 |
| Ayala | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.50 | 22.25 | 24.00 | 29.00 | 33.25 | 36.50 | 41.00 | 43.50 | 45.25 | 47.25 | 50.50 |
| Buendia | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 20.00 | 21.75 | 26.50 | 30.75 | 34.25 | 38.75 | 41.25 | 43.00 | 45.00 | 48.25 |
| Guadalupe | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 16.75 | 21.50 | 25.75 | 29.00 | 33.75 | 36.00 | 38.00 | 39.75 | 43.25 |
| Ortigas | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 19.25 | 22.75 | 27.25 | 29.50 | 31.50 | 33.25 | 36.75 |
| Santolan | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 16.00 | 20.50 | 22.75 | 24.75 | 26.75 | 30.00 |
| Main Avenue | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 18.75 | 21.00 | 23.00 | 25.00 | 28.25 |
| Nepa Q. Mart | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 16.25 | 18.25 | 20.00 | 23.50 |
| Quezon Avenue | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.75 | 19.25 |
| North Avenue | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.75 |
| Roosevelt | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 |
| Kaingin | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 | 15.00 |
| Balintawak | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 | 15.00 |
| Bagong Barrio | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15.00 |
| Monumento | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The prices are calculated based on a basic fare of PHP 15.00 for the first five (5) kilometers of travel, plus PHP 2.65 for each extra kilometer. Rounding is done to the nearest PHP 0.25. Students who use the bus still qualify for a fare discount of at least 20% of the "approved adjusted fare everyday," including Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays.
When using the busway, it's definitely helpful to keep a copy with you as well so you can estimate your expenses.
Or let us do the math! Download the Sakay.ph app for iPhone and Android. Tell us your destination, and we'll let you know which buses to take and how much the price will be.
EDSA Carousel Bus Schedule
While the busway is operational 24/7, the number of bus units that are available depends on a bus company's operating hours. Commuters can expect waiting lines at some stops due to the lower number of available rides especially at wee hours (between 1:00 AM and 4:00 AM).
EDSA Carousel Stations
Check out EDSA Carousel at our Route Explorer👇👇👇
SOUTHBOUND
- MCU Median Stop, Monumento
- Bagong Barrio, Caloocan Median Stop
- Kaingin Road Bus Stop, Quezon City
- Munoz Median Stop
- North Avenue Median Stop
- Quezon Avenue Median Stop
- Nepa Q-Mart Median Stop
- Main Avenue Median Stop
- MRT Santolan-Annapolis Median Stop
- Ortigas Median Stop
- Guadalupe Median Stop
- Buendia Median Stop
- One Ayala Terminal
- Tramo Carousel Station
- Taft Median Bus Stop (Westbound)
- Roxas Blvd Westbound
- SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City
- DFA/Starbucks
- Ayala Malls Manila Bay
- Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX)
NORTHBOUND
- Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX)
- City of Dreams
- DFA/Starbucks
- Roxas Blvd Eastbound
- Taft Median Bus Stop (Eastbound)
- Ayala Median Stop
- Buendia Median Stop
- Guadalupe Median Stop
- Ortigas Median Stop
- MRT Santolan-Annapolis Median Stop
- Main Avenue Median Stop
- Nepa Q-Mart Median Stop
- Quezon Avenue Median Stop
- North Avenue Median Stop
- Munoz Median Stop
- Kaingin Road Bus Stop
- Bagong Barrio, Caloocan Median Stop
- MCU Median Stop, Monumento
Despite being aligned with the Metro Railway Transit (MRT), it does not have stops along Magallanes, Boni Avenue, and Shaw Boulevard. It is advised that passengers who intend to travel to these places take the MRT instead.
Depending on the passenger volume, buses may skip the Mall of Asia (MoA) stop. If you're southbound and headed to MoA, make sure to let the conductor know, or you may miss the stop!
If you're coming from MoA and heading towards north, you’ll need to head southbound first. Here are your options:
EDSA Busway Complaint Form
The LTFRB has adopted a QR Code system in receiving and acting on the complaints or concerns by the commuters.
The "EDSA Busway Complaint Form" will appear after being scanned by smart phones and will ask for the essential information, including the complainant's name, contact information, the date and time of the incident, and the bus plate number.
"Supporting details" will also need to be provided, such as a photo or video.
Alternatively, complaints can be lodged by accessing this Google Form or by calling the LTFRB 24/7 hotline “1342”.
Guidelines
As pandemic restrictions ease, passengers are still advised to be guided by the seven commandments for health and safety when riding a public vehicle. These are:
- Wearing of face mask 😷
- Minimize talking 🔇
- No eating 🚫🍔
- Ensure proper ventilation 💨
- Ensure frequent disinfection 🙌
- Symptomatic passengers are not allowed to board 🚫🤒
- Observe Physical distancing ↔️
Observations and Experience
Since the stations are in the center of EDSA, most people need to pass through the MRT stations to get there. Some passengers may find it difficult to navigate as the stairs can get quite high and there is no working manlift or elevator for the elderly, people with disabilities, and others to easily get to and from the bus stop.
Once we were able to get inside the bus, we asked the conductor about the new fares and he said that they themselves are still getting used to it given that the Libreng Sakay ran for quite some time. We were able to see that the fare matrix were posted inside the bus.
Some buses also advertise that they accept BEEP as a mode of payment but the bus we rode did not have a working device. It may still be best to always bring your spare coins because we cannot always guarantee it is not guaranteed that the scanner will function.
We also asked if bikes are allowed on the bus, and the conductor told us that bikes could be placed in this area:
Another good thing is that our pets 🦮 are also allowed provided they wear diapers.
The bus ride was quite fast as well. It may actually be faster than the MRT as it doesn’t have to stop at all of the stations if there are no passengers alighting or to be picked up. It didn’t take that long for us to arrive at our destination. We timed our trip from North Avenue to Ortigas station and recorded a travel time of 14 minutes!
However, keep in mind that during rush hour, the journey may be slower and there may be longer wait times at certain stops, depending on the number of people travelling.
To conclude, the EDSA Carousel system has a lot of potential for improving public transportation in the city. It may not be perfect but we hope that this system would be made better so as to benefit not only our commuting public, but the entire Metro Manila as well.
Sources: LTFRB website, EDSA Carousel Update Facebook
