Davao ranks 12th, Manila 40th in index of worst road congestion

TWO Philippine cities made world’s most-congested rankings, with Davao City’s roads deemed the country’s busiest in 2025.

The TomTom Traffic Index also rated the Philippines the Asian country with the worst road congestion in 2025, which it quantified as 45%.

Davao City was rated 66.2%, landing it in 12^th position out of 492 cities worldwide. Manila was 40^th with a congestion level of 57%.

TomTom Traffic Index’s congestion level reflects the extra time a trip takes in typical conditions as opposed to when traffic is light or non-existent.

Commuters in Davao City averaged 34 minutes and 17 seconds in travel time for a 10-kilometer drive, adding 23 seconds to the 2024 average, according to the report.

Meanwhile, commuters in Manila posted an average travel time of 31 minutes and 45 seconds for every 10-kilometer drive, 10 seconds more than in 2024.

In 2024, Davao City was the eighth-most congested city out of 500 cities, with an average 33 minutes to travel 10 kilometers. Manila was 14^th globally that year, with a corresponding travel time of 32 minutes.

“TomTom’s data gives us a clear signal: mobility demand in Davao is rising faster than the road network can absorb. This is exactly why ongoing transport modernization and better traffic management are essential to ensure safer, faster, and more reliable travel for everyone,” Transportation Acting Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez told BusinessWorld via Viber.

The Department of Transportation (DoTr) is working with Davao City on better transportation solutions, Mr. Lopez said, such as modern buses and smart traffic systems through the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project (DPTMP).

The DPTMP will modernize bus lines on 32 routes across a 653-kilometer road network. Two of the routes are scheduled to begin operating partially by the third quarter of 2027, serving around 110,000 passengers a day.

Mr. Lopez said full operations are expected by the fourth quarter of 2028, with projected ridership of up to 800,000 a day.

The lack of a modern and efficient transportation system in Davao City has resulted in the worsening of road congestion, according to Rene S. Santiago, an international consultant on transport development and former president of the Transportation Science Society of the Philippines.

“There is a public transport modernization project for Davao City. It is a BRT, except in labelling. As usual, it is delayed… there are (other) traffic management solutions that can be done immediately,” he said via Viber.

Mr. Lopez said the DoTr has started construction on the first driving school in the country specializing in training bus drivers and is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, Mr. Lopez said the DoTr is fast-tracking the construction of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit project, with partial operations of Package 1 expected this quarter. — Ashley Erika O. Jose