DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 06 January) – The Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT), the lone bus terminal in the city, has been suffering from congestion due to the influx of passengers, estimated to range daily between 35,000 and 40,000 to and fro.
Speaking during the Kapehan sa Dabaw on Monday, DCOTT manager Aisa Usop said they imposed a stricter traffic control management system to prevent the crippling of the 1.7-hectare terminal, which operates round the clock in Ecoland Drive, Talomo district, from traffic congestion.
Currently, the terminal has 50 bays for buses and during non-peak season, the terminal can accommodate 700 to 800 daily trips, Usop said.
She noted that some buses have to leave at an interval of every 15 to 30 minutes to avoid stalling the flow of traffic in the terminal and its peripheries.
During peak season, specifically during Christmas holidays and the observance of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days, she said the daily trips would shoot up to 1,200 to 1,400, accommodating over 70,000 passengers.
“Because of so many buses (during the peak season), it would create congestion even within the terminal,” she added.
The major bus companies operating at the terminal are the Bachelor Express, Yellow Bus Line, Inc., LCI Bus Line, ACF Bus Lines, Holy Infant Tours, Mindanao Star and the Davao Metro Shuttle, she said.
Usop said the terminal “can still carry” the bus congestion though.
“It will just need the proper control of the traffic. We usually asked the operations manager [of the bus companies] to monitor strictly their timeframe; those buses from the garage should leave on time so that incoming buses can get inside to avoid congesting traffic,” she said.
She said the City Planning and Development Office is drafting a proposed ordinance to open additional terminals in Toril and Buhangin areas, so that buses will no longer have to pass through the downtown area, easing up the traffic in the central business district.
