THE Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) is poised to surpass its annual revenue goal as passenger volume continues to surge ahead of the Christmas rush, buoyed by consistently high bus traffic and strict terminal management policies.
As of November 2025, DCOTT has generated nearly P48 million in total income, placing it just short of its P50 million revenue target for the year. Terminal officials expect collections to climb further as December traditionally marks the peak travel season, with thousands of passengers arriving in and departing from Davao City daily.
DCOTT Manager Aisa Usop said the steady rise in commuter traffic has strengthened confidence that the terminal will exceed its income projection before the year ends.
“I am pretty sure that we will reach that— in fact, even exceed it,” Usop said during the Habi at Kape Media Forum, December 17, citing the sustained influx of travelers during the holiday period.
Usop also highlighted the terminal’s strong financial performance in the previous year, reporting that DCOTT posted P52,763,980 in income in 2024, significantly higher than its original target. Usop said that the target was P38 million but in the month of November, their agency reached P48 million.
According to Usop, the revenue growth was largely driven by the massive number of passengers recorded during peak travel periods, particularly in November and December. She said the terminal initially targeted 1,500 bus trips per day during peak days last month, but there were instances when daily trips exceeded that number. This translated to an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 passengers per day, underscoring DCott’s role as a major transport hub in Mindanao.
With the Christmas season in full swing, DCott management is now preparing for another wave of heavy passenger traffic in the coming days. Usop said measures are being reinforced to ensure orderly operations, including the continued implementation and expansion of the terminal’s “no pick-up” policy, which prohibits buses from loading passengers outside designated areas.
She emphasized that the policy is crucial in maintaining traffic flow, passenger safety, and efficient terminal operations amid the expected daily influx of thousands of holiday travelers. DEF