River taxi project deferred to end-2006
By Max V. de Leon
 Reporter

THE commercial operation of the 14-station Pasig River Ferry project has been moved from June to the end of the year due to delays in the construction of the boats and the stations.
       The project is a joint undertaking of the Department of Transportation and Communications, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC).
       Engineer Chito Macapagal, general manager for corporate development of Unilever, the private-sector representative in the PRRC, said only the Guadalupe Station has so far been completed and six stations are in progress.
       The other stations are facing problems like relocation of informal settlers and, in the case of one station, there is a rock formation underneath the river that is taking time to remove.
       Also, the company that was chosen to construct the ferries has yet to finish one, after it changed specification from smaller boats to bigger ones with 150-seat capacity.
       Originally targeted to get under way next month, the Pasig River Ferry project will now go on stream in the later part of the year, beginning with the first seven stations from Plaza Mexico in Manila to San Joaquin in Pasig.
       Eventually, Stations 8 to 14 from Napindan, Taguig to Marikina will be added to the routes.
       Six 150-seater ferries will ply the Pasig River on a specific route basis, with smaller river taxies taking the in-between routes.
       Macapagal said they will be bidding the electronic ticketing contract by next month so the system will also be ready by the start of the operations.