SM Megamall busway link deepens malls' role in urban transit

Insider Spotlight

• 170,000+ commuters use the Edsa Bus Carousel daily, putting pressure on infrastructure around high-traffic stations
• Direct mall access at SM Megamall reduces the need for commuters to make a lengthy walk across Edsa
• Transit-linked malls could become a broader model as commercial properties evolve into nodes in Metro Manila’s mobility network
  
  
  
  

Rising use of the Edsa Bus Carousel is pushing malls along Metro Manila’s main thoroughfare to take on a bigger role in transport infrastructure, as operators look to integrate commercial properties more closely with the daily commute. 

More than 170,000 passengers use the busway daily, based on the January 2025 average cited by SM Supermalls.

Elevated connection

SM Megamall opened its Edsa Busway Concourse to the public in April, providing an elevated and weather-protected connection between the Edsa Bus Carousel’s SM Megamall station and Building A.

The walkway removes the need for passengers to traverse a lengthy stretch across Edsa to reach the mall. It also has escalators and elevators designed to improve access for commuters with disabilities, senior citizens and pregnant women.

Malls as transport corridors

The project shows how malls located along major transport corridors can function as extensions of public transit infrastructure rather than solely as shopping and leisure destinations.

SM Supermalls developed the concourse with the Department of Transportation as part of efforts to improve the commuter experience. The connection gives passengers direct access to the bus platform serving northbound trips to Monumento and southbound trips to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange.

Changing Filipino lifestyles

SM Megamall is not the first SM property to adopt the model. A similar connection was previously introduced at SM North Edsa, pointing to a potential pattern for other SM malls positioned along major transit corridors.

The initiative also falls under SM Supermalls’ My SM campaign, through which the company is repositioning its properties around changing Filipino lifestyles, including commuting and connectivity.

Sizeable property network

SM Supermalls operates 90 malls in the Philippines and nine in China, giving the company a sizeable property network through which transit-oriented features could potentially be applied where locations and transport infrastructure allow. —Vanessa Hidalgo | Ed: Corrie S. Narisma