Passengers flock to the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal on Friday, December 23, 2022. MindaNews file photo
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 16 December) — A separate lane will be designated for passengers who had booked their bus trips online, an official from the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) said.
Aisa Usop, DCOTT manager, said this is their commitment to bus operators, in a bid to intensify their call for passengers to book in advance to avoid long queues and large crowds especially during the Christmas and New Year season.
“Since we know there would be long queues during the holidays, our commitment to our bus operators is to have a separate lane for those who already have tickets because they might be left behind by their buses and their tickets will really be forfeited, these can no longer be used,” Usop said in the vernacular during a press conference Wednesday at Royal Mandaya Hotel.
She said a proposal for a unified online booking system at the terminal is on the pipeline, but for now, they are helping the bus companies to promote their own booking systems.
“We have proposed this in the past, to have a unified booking system online but for now, we are promoting bus companies’ online booking system where each [bus company] has its own system,” she said.
She, however, noted that despite the launch of the online bus booking right after Undas (All Saints Day and All Souls Day), only a few have availed of the service.
She said only a few people knew of the online booking system.
The DCOTT’s online booking campaign was made in early November, where an influx of passengers was observed because of the Undas and barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
Booking for tickets can be availed via bus companies’ booking sites such as Bookaway.com for Bachelor Express, Mindanao Star Bus Transport and Rural Transit; iWantSeats.com for Yellow Bus Line; Davao ACF Bus Line Facebook page for Davao ACF Bus Line; and phone booking for Philtranco.
The bus companies with priority routes for online booking include Bachelor Express’ routes from Davao City to Surigao, Ormoc, Leyte, Tacloban, and Bohol; Mindanao Star Bus’ routes from Davao City to Cotabato City, Koronadal, General Santos City, and Kidapawan City; Rural Transit’s route from Davao City to Cagayan de Oro;
Philtranco’s route from Davao City to Pasay; Davao Metro Shuttle Bus’ routes from Davao City to Pasay, Surigao, Tacloban, and Samar; Yellow Bus Line’s routes to Tacurong via Makilala, Marbel, Maitum, Kiamba, and Isulan; and ECF Bus Line’s routes from Davao City to Don Marcelino and Malita in Davao Occidental.
Usop said the online booking could also contribute to the passengers’ safety.
Bus trips from DCOTT number 1,000 to 1,500 trips during peak seasons, such as Christmas, Undas, and Holy Week. (Ian Carl Espinosa/Mindanews)
