Earlier today, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced that the EDSA rehabilitation project (now called EDSA Rebuild) will see the implementation of an odd-even scheme.

While the major thoroughfare won't be totally closed to motorists, it will be constricted due to the duration and scale of the rehabilitation, which is expected to last until 2027. With traffic expected to worsen before it gets better, there is some reprieve for those who drive electrified vehicles daily.

The MMDA and the DOTr confirmed that aside from cars driven by Transportation Network Vehicle Services (TNVS), the agency has announced that electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) are exempted from the upcoming odd-even scheme. That's right, those who have to take EDSA during the rehabilitation works need not worry about violating the new coding scheme.

Since the EVIDA law covers such vehicles as exempted from the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP), AKA the number coding scheme, it's not surprising that EVs, PHEVs, and HEVs are also safe from the odd-even number scheme the MMDA will implement next month.

As a reminder, the odd-even number scheme will be based on the number ending of your license plate or conduction sticker, and will be as follows:

Plates or Conduction Sticker ending 1 / 3 / 5 / 7 / 9 – Banned on Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Plates or Conduction Sticker ending 2 / 4 / 6 / 8 / 0 – Banned on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday

With heavier traffic set to take place starting June 13, 2025, we'll be curious just how the agencies will be able to manage traffic. After all, Metro Manila has one of the worst traffic situations in the world.;