Dabawenyos, especially those traveling from Ulas to Sasa or those living near Carlos P. Garcia Highway (Diversion Road), will now have access to available public transport after the launch of the Interim Bus System Project on Thursday.
During the project launch, Mayor Inday Sara Duterte, “Transportation and mobility play an important role in communication, trade, tourism, and other forms of exchange between people. As such, there is a need for the public to access to safe and efficient modes of transportation and travel.”
“With the Interim Bus System Project, we hope to bring convenience and ease of transport to the riding public through the deployment of buses in selected areas”, Mayor Sara said.
The Carlos P. Garcia route has 24 bus stops and will traverse from the corner of Ulas Bypass Road to the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) in Sasa and vise versa.
Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Region XI Director Nonito Llanos III said that franchise for 14 buses had been approved but only seven (7) will temporarily ply the highway from 6 AM to 7 PM with 15-20 minutes of interval per bus.
The C.P. Garcia Highway route will start from the Bypass Road turning right to Davao City-Panabo City Road, then turnaround to Philippine Ports Authority and vice versa.
There are also 24 designated bus stops along the route located near the corner McArthur Highway, near La Vista Monte Subdivision, Matina Pangi intersection, Las Terrazas, GAP Farm, NHA Ma-a, Choice Mart, Crocodile Park, cor. Jade Valley, cor. El Rio, fronting San Ignacio School, Shell (Monclair), Buhangin Gym, San Isidro School, NHA Buhangin, Commission on Audit (COA), Laverna Hills, Camp Catitipan, Airport Layby, Landmark III, Relocation (Juanas Kubo), Panacan Junction, NCCC and MINCOR in Sasa.
The Metro Shuttle Buses deployed to ply the C.P. Garcia route are fully airconditioned, with beep card for cashless transaction.
The C.P. Garcia Highway route is only the first route to open under the IBS project. High Priority Bus System Project Manager and Assistant City Administrator for Administration Atty. Tristan Dwight Domingo said that the next route to open will be in Catalunan Grande.
“We are already finalizing doing it in Catalunan Grande. Basically, it will start from Elenita Heights and it will go all the way to Roxas and back to Catalunan Grande. Hopefully, in the next two weeks, we can launch it,” Domingo said in a phone interview.
Domingo said that there are three (3) bus routes under the IBS project namely, the C.P. Garcia Highway, Catalunan Grande, and the Toril route.
The IBS is the first phase of the implementation of the High Priority Bus System (HPBS) which is a part of the Transport Roadmap of the City Government of Davao. The purpose of the Roadmap is to support the improvement of transportation so that it prioritizes modes according to their economic, environmental, and community sustainability…..CIO, Michael Manguhig RPN Dxkt Davao