MMDA, Waze team up vs traffic woes
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has forged a partnership with Waze, a GPS-based geographical navigation and traffic application, to address traffic in Metro Manila.
MMDA officer- in- charge Tim Orbos said under the partnership, the MMDA and Waze will exchange data on the traffic situation in the metropolis.
Orbos said the MMDA will provide Waze data on congested areas, road accidents, floods and road closures in Metro Manila to provide motorists real-time routes.
Waze, on the other hand, will provide MMDA crowd sourcing information in Metro Manila, which officials said would promote greater efficiency, deeper insights and safer roads for motorists.
Orbos said that the partnership with Waze would be a big help to motorists so that they can find alternate routes.
“They can now better decide on what roads to traverse to get to their destination, as they can avoid areas that are heavily congested,” Orbos said.
Julia Nebrija, assistant general manager for operations of the MMDA, said the partnership between the MMDA and the Waze would be a win-win solution.
She explained that Waze data will give MMDA a wider incident coverage and public outreach, which the agency can study to improve the traffic management “today and in the long-term.”
Meanwhile, Grab Philippines country head Brian Cu said collaboration among different modes of transport services could be an inclusive solution to the country’s traffic woes.
Ride- hailing platforms, point- to- point ( P2P) buses, train lines and the proposed bus rapid transit system should be seamlessly connected in order to move people more effectively, he said.
Grab Philippines is currently in talks with P2P operators and the government to provide feeder services, which would bring commuters from their homes to P2P terminals and their final destinations, Cu said.