Councilor Dante L. Apostol, chair of the Committee on Franchising and Public Utilities of the City Council, admitted on Tuesday that Tricycle Operators and Drivers Associations (TODAs) in Davao City will be directly affected by the implementation of the High Priority Bus System (HPBS).
His committee is designated as a member of the Davao City Motorized Tricycle for Hire Franchising and Regulatory Board.
This is one of the workings of the committee and we are tasked to attend MTH meetings regarding the opening of MTH road, extension of existing roads, and subsequently, the approval of motorized tricycle operators permit.
Apostol said there are currently four pending TODA applications for routes and extension of routes. However, he said, the approval is only temporary because of the pending implementation of the HPBS.
“Temporary lang ang approval tungod kay pending sa implementation sa atoang bus system. Pag maapektuhan ang ruta sa maong mga motorized tricycle routes posible ning maundang. Posibleng dunay changes or amendments sa maong routes. Kanang mga ruta maagian sa HPBS,” he said during the Aprubado sa Konseho media forum.
HPBS is one of the flagship projects of the Build, Build, Build program, which is being implemented by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the city government of Davao.
The Davao HPBS is a proposed bus-based public transport system for the city, consisting of a core bus network of over 100 kilometers, and a feeder network of over 500 kilometers.
HPBS would replace the existing jeepney network with a four-tier (MetroDavao, DavaoInter, DavaoFeeder, and DavaoLocal), 29-route network operating with larger buses (including 18m articulated and 12m bus units), which significantly reduce the number of public transport vehicles on the roadways (reducing PUVs). Small 10m buses will also be introduced.
HPBS also includes the development of public transport terminals, depots, and a driving school as key supporting facilities of the modern service; 1,119 bus stops; and more than 1,000 new bus fleets.
