The Love Bus Is Back With Free Electric Shuttles From Ortigas to Eastwood
It runs daily, with buses arriving every 15 to 20 minutes.
Published on Sep 11, 2026
(SPOT.ph) With daily commutes already taking a toll on both time and money, a free ride across part of Metro Manila sounds especially welcome right now. That’s what the revived Love Bus is offering, bringing the familiar blue buses back to the road as a free, air-conditioned electric shuttle service.
Starting September 10, commuters can score free daily rides between Robinsons Galleria in Pasig and Eastwood City in Quezon City. Anyone can hop on!
Led by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the service is meant to give much-needed relief to the workforce tackling the stressful daily commute along C5 and Ortigas Avenue.
Also read: Makati Could Get Its Own Bus Lanes Through Ayala and Buendia—Here's What We Know So Far
Check out the Love Bus route and schedule
The free electric Love Bus operates daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., running at 15- to 20-minute intervals. There are currently six zero-emission electric buses in the fleet, each one able to accommodate up to 36 passengers.
Eastbound (Robinsons Galleria to Eastwood City):
Robinsons Galleria (Ortigas Avenue)
MMDA Footbridge (J. Vargas Ave.)
Shell (J. Vargas Ave.)
C5 after Green Meadows Gate 6
C5 after Green Meadows footbridge
Eastwood City
Westbound (Eastwood City to Robinsons Galleria):
Eastwood City
Opus Mall
C5-J Vargas footbridge (near Eagle St.)
Arcovia City
MMDA New Building (J. Vargas Ave.)
Robinsons Galleria (Ortigas Avenue)
If six buses don’t sound like enough to cater to the public, more units are already in the pipeline. The MMDA plans to double the fleet to better meet the commuters navigating this particular route.
There are also plans to add more routes to the Love Bus network, specifically covering Makati City Hall–Mandaluyong City Hall–Pasig City Hall, Estancia West Wing–Uptown Transport Terminal, and Eastwood Mall–UP Diliman.
The original Love Bus began operating in 1976 under the state-owned Metro Manila Transit Corporation (MMTC). It debuted in all its ‘70s-appropriate glory, painted in striking blue with a large heart logo, and served as the first air-conditioned city bus service in the country.
Unlike regular buses at the time, the Love Bus implemented a strict “no standing” policy, offering comfortable rides between key hubs like Escolta, Cubao, Philcoa, and Makati. Eventually, financial strain combined with the privatization and dissolution of MMTC forced the iconic fleet to retire in the late 1990s.
Even though the Love Bus was off the road for decades, its legacy has endured. In 2023, retro-styled electric jeepneys in Makati paid direct homage to the ‘70s transit service. By 2025, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. announced its official revival during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA). Following pilot tests in Cebu and Davao and an initial Metro Manila launch in Valenzuela, the fleet is now ready for the C5–Ortigas traffic.
Also read: The Rise and Fall of the Love Bus: Short History
Celia Nachura writes to pay for plane tickets, tennis classes, and a pile of books she’ll never have the time to read. She is also the emotional support human to two dogs, Daisy and Nacho.