IT is but logical for the government to extend the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway (Naiax) all the way to Bonifacio Global City (BGC) to further cut travel time in Metro Manila, an Uber executive said on Monday.
Laurence Cua, who sits as the general manager at Uber Philippines, said his group found that extending the Naiax to the central business district near Taguig will help maximize the road’s potential for faster travel.
He cited data culled from “thousands of trips months before and after Naiax was opened last June.”
Cua said data showed that Naiax “shortened average travel times in and around areas it serves, even for those who didn’t take the new elevated expressway.”
“So if the Naiax BGC extension is built, travel on the skyway system from the moment a vehicle enters Naiax in Entertainment City or the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, for instance, it should be in BGC in around 20 minutes, down by half from the current average of 40 minutes,” he said.
This is already apparent when one enters the Skyway ramp in Alabang and exits at the Macapagal Boulevard or the airport terminals in around 30 minutes, he added.
Logically, Cua said, if more cars take the Skyway system, there would be fewer cars at the road level, easing traffic all around, which was actually the original concept for the Skyway and at-grade combination.
Uber has made its data available to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), to help guide the government on its infrastructure programs. The company has created an online tool, called Movement for the government to track the movement of traffic in Metro Manila via Uber’s eyes.
“Movement uses the power of big data to help government officials and planners really understand the impact to travel times of the infrastructure projects and programs they roll out,” he said.