Culture
Marcos Revives the Love Bus as a Libreng Sakay Program
As promised in his fourth State of the Nation Address.
Published on Jul 28, 2025
(SPOT.ph) The Love Bus is
making a comeback—and this time, you won’t even have to pay for the ride.
In his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28,
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. announced the revival of the
1970s-era Love Bus program as a free public transportation service. The program will initially be piloted in Davao and Cebu,
with plans to roll it out to more locations across the Visayas and Mindanao.
"Naalala ba ninyo ’yung tinatawag na ‘Love Bus’? Ito
’yung popular na pampublikong bus sa Metro Manila na sinimulan noong 1970s,”
Marcos said during his speech. “Ngayon, hindi lang natin ibabalik ang Love
Bus, ito ay gagawin pa nating libre. Pauna pa lamang ’yung sa Davao at sa Cebu.
Susundan pa ito sa iba pang lugar sa Visayas at Mindanao.”
No word for Metro Manila yet, but you might be surprised to know that the Love Bus actually made a somewhat quiet return in 2023. The nostalgic brand made a modern comeback in Makati City as e-jeepneys
charging P14 per passenger. These
Love Buses operate from Circuit Makati to One Ayala from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on
weekdays and 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. on weekends. Still, they haven't always been easy to catch—in fact, you're lucky if you manage to spot one on the road.
Should the Love Bus be making a comeback on Philippine roads?
Malacañang has yet to release further details on the revival—such as what kind of buses will be used or when the pilot will start—but it's likely the project will retain the original blue-and-red heart design from before. What is the Love Bus without it?
Not everyone is feeling the love though. Some critics say the return of the Love Bus is just another way for Marcos to lean on his father’s legacy. After all, the image of the Love Bus was closely tied to the Marcos dictatorship, so bringing it back now feels to some like a soft rebranding of that era.
The timing has also raised eyebrows. Following severe flooding in Luzon, the project has prompted questions about whether it addresses real transport problems. As former congressman Teddy Baguilat puts it: “Kaya ba ni Love Bus lumutang sa baha?”
Originally launched in the 1970s, the Love Bus was the first air-conditioned bus in the country that followed international standards. It plied the routes of Escolta and Makati, but later expanded to pass through Quezon Avenue, the University of the Philippines, and other key locations in Metro Manila. Riding it wasn't just about getting from Point A to B but an experience people eagerly lined up for.
It was introduced by the Metro Manila Transit Corporation (MMTC), a body created through an executive order by former President Ferdinand Marcos in 1974.
Click to Enlarge
Photo from Flickr/John Ward.
Contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t Imelda Marcos who conceived the concept of the Love Bus—at least what Rene S. Santiago, the former president of the Transportation Science Society of the Philippines, claimed in his article (but Senator Imee Marcos would disagree). Like everyone else, she fell in love with it and chose to co-opt the project as her own as the Metro Manila governor back then.
Despite initial success, the MMTC accumulated a deficit of over P140 million in its first four years of operation following a hastily
implemented fleet expansion.
Micah believes that writing is always political. Beyond the byline, you’ll find her bruising herself in a pole studio or napping with her beagle. Reach her at micah@spot.ph.
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