THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is reviewing the proposed initial routes for the High Priority Bus System (HPBS), which is expected to take off early 2020.

LTFRB regional director Armand Dioso said the proposed route for the HPBS, which will cover the routes Catalunan Grande-Roxas and Ulas to Sasa (passing through C.P. Garcia Highway or Diversion Road).

"Sa karon, ang city gahatag na sila sa request for approval sa mga buses na proposed na tagaan og linya (The city government has already filed its request for the approval of the proposed routes for these buses)," Dioso said.

HPBS is one of the city's transport modernization program that aims to shift from the current public utility jeepney (PUJ) transport system to a high-end bus system.

The first phase of the bus system will be classified under the Davao Integrated Bus System (Dibs), wherein 35 city-type buses will be operated in the areas of Catalunan Grande and C.P. Garcia Highway (Diversion Road).

City assistant administrator Tristan Dwight Domingo, in a previous report, said that the city government is struggling to finance the HPBS, which caused the delay for its implementation.

Dioso, meanwhile, said the city government has not requested for the approval of HPBS routes in other areas, since it is not yet a "full blast" implementation although the city is currently requesting for additional buses for the Peak Hours Augmentation Bus Services (Phabs).

Phabs, which Domingo previously clarified is not a transitional augmentation towards the implementation of HPBS, is a temporary deployment of buses during peak hours to routes that lack deployment of PUJs.

Phabs currently serves the area of Catalunan Grande, Toril, Panacan/Lasang, Cabantian, Buhangin, and Calinan routes after receiving complaints from passengers in these areas.

"Ginahulat nalang nato ang memorandum circular gikan sa national (We are awaiting for the memorandum circular from the national LTFRB)," Dioso said.

The official also said the time frame of the temporary deployment of Phabs would still depend on the readiness of the implementation of the HPBS.