Davao City – The City Government of Davao on March 23 has launched the Catalunan Grande Route of the Davao Interim Bus System or IBS.
This is the second route of the IBS, the first route unveiled last month serves the Talomo Puan-C.P Garcia Highway-Sasa route.
The Catalunan Grande Route covers Elenita Heights in Catalunan Grande to Roxas Avenue in downtown Davao City. it will have 21 bus stops.
The launch will deploy the first six buses out of the 21 bus units operated by Metro Shuttle Corporation. The modern buses will utilize cashless beep cards as added convenience to passengers.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio attended the launch and was joined by Department of Transportation (DoTr) Assistant Secretary Eymard D. Eje, Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Regional Director Nonito A. Llanos III, Metro Shuttle Corporation CEO De Carlo “Oyo” Uy and Debin Uraya of the Uraya Land Development Inc. developer of Elenita Heights.
In her speech Mayor Duterte urged the public particularly the residents of Catalunan Grande and nearby areas to patronize the project.
“Your support is integral if we are to succeed in our goal of creating a safer, more convenient, and more efficient public transport system that will best lead us to a future characterized by strong economic growth, sustainable development, and improved quality of life for all,” The Mayor said.
It can be recalled that the Catalunan Grande route has been a priority of the City Government as it is considered as an underserved area with few transportation options for the growing number of residents in the area.
In 2019, answering to the clamor of residents, the City Government operated the Peak Hours Augmentation Bus System or PHABS using buses to augment public transportation serving underserved areas such as Catalunan Grande, Toril, Mintal and Cabantian.
The IBS is the initial stage of the Davao City High Priority Bus System (HPBS) which is the flagship project of the City Government under its transportation modernization program.
(RG Alama, Philippine Information Agency | OIC Michael Manguhig RPN Dxkt Davao)