THE Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (Dcott) heightens preparations as it anticipates a significant increase in passenger traffic due to the upcoming 2025 National and Local Elections (NLE).
According to Dcott Head Aisa Usop, the terminal is expecting up to 1,000 bus trips on Election Day, May 12, 2025, to facilitate the return of voters to their respective provinces.
Usop emphasized in a radio interview on dxDC on May 6 that in the event of any shortfall in scheduled bus trips, Dcott is prepared to coordinate with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-Davao Region (LTFRB-Davao) to secure special permits for additional buses.
She said that such a proactive measure aims to ensure that all passengers can travel without delays.
Meanwhile, the surge in passenger volume is expected to peak on Friday, May 9, as voters head home to cast their ballots.
To manage the expected influx of up to 75,000 passengers on peak travel days, Dcott has rolled out heightened security measures in collaboration with local law enforcement agencies. Additional personnel, crowd control barriers, and emergency response units have been deployed to ensure a safe and orderly environment within the terminal premises.
On the other hand, in a bid to further ease congestion and improve the travel experience of bus passengers, Dcott has reintroduced the online ticket booking system. The platform allows passengers to reserve tickets in advance via their mobile devices or computers, thus minimizing long queues at ticket counters and facilitating smoother passenger flow.
The system is also designed to be user-friendly, offering real-time seat availability, secure payment options, and digital receipts, which passengers can present at boarding checkpoints.
As of November 2024, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reported that the Davao Region had a total of 3,386,929 registered voters for the upcoming 2025 elections. This figure includes both new registrants and those updating their voter information during the registration period from February 12 to September 30, 2024. DEF