DUE to the lack of public utility vehicles (PUVs) operating during peak hours for the past few days in Davao City, the city government is planning to bring back the Peak Hours Augmentation Bus Service (Phabs).
City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) head Dionisio Abude confirmed this to SunStar Davao on Tuesday afternoon, August 16.
Abude said they are still going to apply for a special permit from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
“Gina-finalize na lang ang special permit sa LTFRB (We are still finalizing the special permit from LTFRB),” he said.
The traffic official has yet to provide further details on the possible resumption of the Phabs,as well as the number of buses to be deployed per route.
SunStar Davao reached out to LTFRB for further details, but they have yet to provide additional information.
Phabs was implemented by the City Government of Davao in February 2019 in response to the increasing demand for more public transportation options during peak hours in the city, particularly in areas of Toril and Catalunan Grande.
For the past few days, commuters were struggling to get a ride home due to the limited number of PUVs operating especially during heavy rains.
Photos uploaded by SunStar Davao on August 8 and 9 show a number of Dabawenyos waiting in Acacia to get a ride home after heavy rains. Similar sights can be seen in different parts of the city with people waiting to catch a jeepney ride. Even taxis were hard to come by.
In our interviews with some commuters, they bared that it could take at least an hour for them to get a ride during peak hours. At times, it is a longer wait after the rain.
Some of the affected passengers are students, whose schools recently started the face-to-face class modality.
Notably, the office of Vice President Sara Duterte, former Davao City mayor, launched ‘Libreng Sakay’ on August 4 to help ease Filipinos from the rising transport fares in some parts of the country, including Davao City.
The Phabs-Libreng Sakay will serve the areas of Lasang, Toril, and Calinan. The operation will start from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Lasang area will be served on Mondays and Tuesdays; Wednesdays and Thursdays for Toril; and Fridays and Saturdays for Calinan. RGL