THE Davao City Overland Transport Terminal expects an influx of passengers with continuous bus trips during the peak days of Undas, said manager Aisa Usop on October 28.
At least 1,500 to 2,000 bus trips are expected per day at DCOTT during the peak days of Undas until November 1, servicing around 85,000 to 100,000 passengers.
Usop said this is higher compared to the previous years during the same period, which saw about 1,000 to 1,500 bus trips.
“Nakita na gyod nato na naga start na gyod ang atong mga byaheros na mubyahe na gyod sila (We’re already seeing more passengers coming to DCOTT). Ingani na morning, if dili peak days, wala pa kaayo pasahero. Pero karon ubay-ubay na (Usually in the morning on non-peak days, there aren’t many people but now there are a lot of passengers already at the terminal),” the manager said during a radio interview.
The bus trips would continue until the special non-working holidays on October 31 and November 1 since bus companies are more eager to cater to passengers to earn more and recover their losses during the pandemic.
“Inform pud nato ang mga byahero nga mag sayo sila diri sa DCOTT para makita pud sa mga bus operators na ubay-ubay ang mga pasahero ug aron maka-ready ang mga buses (We advise the travelers to come early to DCOTT so bus operators could prepare and know what to expect),” Usop said.
In order to cater to the influx of passengers, Usop said they have already coordinated with the Southern Mindanao Bus Operators Association (SMBOA) to prepare buses ready for travel in case there are more passengers than anticipated.
Usop said the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Davao Region (LTFRB-Davao) gave special permits to bus operators to allow them to ply or travel during this time. ICM