DUE to the demand of commuters, the Davao City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) targets to open three additional routes for its Peak Hours Augmentation Bus Service (PHABS).
The traffic management office is eyeing bus routes for Mintal, Cabantian, and Sasa in March to address the growing need for public transport and reduce waiting hours.
In an interview Tuesday, February 26, CTTMO head Dionisio Abude said they already submitted the recommendation for the opening of new routes in Mintal and Cabantian to City Assistant Administrator Lawyer Tristan Dwight Domingo. However, since the survey for Sasa is still ongoing, they will soon submit the same to the city.
On March 5, they will conduct a consultation for the transport operators and barangay officials of the three areas to brief them of the PHABS at People’s Park.
This move was initiated to address the scarcity of Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs) during peak hours in these areas in Davao City. Earlier, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) approved the request of the city government of Davao to open the applications for special permits for 20 units of public utility buses.
The pilot of this project was implemented in Toril and Catalunan Grande. These areas were prioritized due to the large number of underserved passengers.
But after they conducted survey in Mintal, they found out that there is also a need for PHABS in the area.
Abude said there is a lack of city type buses for PHBAS. They are considering the provincial buses to be temporarily deployed until a city bus is available.
PHABS for Toril and Catalunan Grande is available from 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. However, because of the demand from cummuters, CTTMO is studying the possibility to extend these operating hours.