THE Peak Hours Augmentation Bus Service (Phabs) in Toril and Catalunan Grande will soon be servicing passengers for 24 hours pending the issuance of a special permit from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
Davao City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) head Dionisio Abude said Wednesday, July 31, 2019, the LTFRB has yet to issue the special permit allowing the bus companies to take a trip round the clock to service the riding public amid the growing demand for mass transportation.
Abude said they have been receiving clamor to extend the augmented bus service, which starts at 6:30 a.m. and ends at 9 a.m. then resumes at 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. To address complaints, they conducted a survey, which showed that most of the passengers favored the augmentation bus, citing it is more convenient. The city bus is equipped with GPS, monitor and air-conditioning. It is also a person with disability (PWD)-friendly.
“During survey nga tungod sa comfortable (and) safe, mao na gyud na gusto na HPBS [High Priority Bus System] na gyud ang mudagan sa Davao City (They prefer the HPBS for it offers comfort and safety),” Abude said.
After conducting the survey, they organized a consultation meeting for a dialogue attended by the passengers, LTFRB, the City Government of Davao, and concerned public utility jeepney (PUJ) operators and drivers of Catalunan Grande and Toril and presented to them the result of the survey.
During the dialogue, one of the drivers questioned the result and complained that they only get the sentiments of the bus passengers. Thus, they conducted another survey at the PUJ terminals but the result remained the same.
The CTTMO chief added that they already submitted copies of their report to
Davao City Assistant Administrator Tristan Dwight Domingo and to LTFRB that will issue the special permit for 24-hour service. Abude said they expect the permit soon.
Once the permit is released, he said Mindanao Star plans to add 12 buses, which is enough to cater to Toril and Catalunan Grande passengers.
“Ang mga pasahero nga madugayan ug uli, naa gihapon masakyan dili pareha karon nga pag alas 9 nabilin sila sa bus stop so wala na. Karon tuyok-tuyok naa na (Passengers will no longer have to worry if they go home late because there will be available buses),” he said.