The Philippines Is Taking Its Electric Love Bus Beyond Metro Manila

The Philippines is expanding its "Love Bus" electric minibus program beyond Metro Manila, a public transit effort that pairs electric vehicles with local government and private-developer partnerships. A new free route now runs daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. along the Robinsons Galleria to Eastwood corridor, connecting Ortigas with C5, Arcovia, Bridgetowne, and Eastwood. The buses, called COMET, are built by Global Electric Transport Philippines and run on a 54-kWh battery with a claimed 100-kilometer range, a top speed of 70 kph, and a charge time of about 45 minutes to go from 20 to 90 percent.

The program started with a 2025 partnership that gave people with disabilities roles in operating routes near Valenzuela, Quezon City, and Parañaque, combining transit service with livelihood support. It has since spread to Cebu and Davao, with Davao's version mentioned by President Marcos in his 2026 State of the Nation Address on electric vehicle goals. A newer agreement adds Pampanga province, again involving disability groups as operators. Property developers like Robinsons Land and Megaworld are funding vehicles and charging space to link their commercial centers, rather than running full transit systems themselves.

This is a public transit initiative, not a home upgrade program, so it has no direct bearing on household energy decisions. It is worth noting mainly as a sign of how electric vehicles are being tested and scaled in hot, congested urban conditions, which can offer real-world data on battery performance relevant to EV buyers more broadly.