The Department of Transportation (DOTr) considers adding routes for the premium point to point (P2P) bus service and encourages existing bus operators to venture into them amid increasing awareness and support by the commuters.
DOTr has launched a new P2P terminal launched in Ayala Malls South Park in Alabang-Muntinlupa traversing from South Park (Alabang) to Ayala Center in Makati City.
Among the proposed routes that will be added for next year include LRT Line 2 Santolan Station-Masinag; LRT Line 2 Santolan Station-Cainta/Taytay; LRT Line 2 Santolan Station-Cogeo/Padilla; LRT Line 2 Santolan Station-Antipolo town proper; Caloocan-Makati; Marikina-Ortigas; Marikina-Makati; Antipolo-Ortigas; Antipolo-Makati; Cainta-Makati; Sucat-Makati; Bicutan-Makati; Alabang-Bonifacio Global City (Taguig) and Nuvali (Sta. Rosa, Laguna)-Makati.
“We are planning to open more P2P bus routes for bidding by the private sector,” DOTr spokesperson Cherie Mercado said in an interview with reporters Friday.
Mercado explained that operators need only to get a franchise from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in order to manage a P2P bus service.
P2P bus fleets should meet the Euro 4 or Euro 5 emission standards, entry and exit doors that can service persons with disabilities (PWDs), elderly and pregnant women, Wi-Fi ready and their units should be less than five years.
“They (bus operators) should modernize the bus fleet, get their routes from the LTFRB and service them,” according to Mercado.
Moreover, she said that the DOTr is encouraged on the positive reception they have been receiving from commuters that use the service for their daily travel. “It is a convenient and dignified way of travel to commuters,” according to Mercado.
The premium P2P bus service is a new public utility vehicle (PUV) sub-category created by the DOTr that offers commuters another safe and reliable mode of transportation. It allows shorter travel time, as buses depart on a fixed schedule and travel directly from the terminal to the drop-off point.
The P2P buses are currently operating in the following routes: Trinoma to Glorietta 5; Alabang Town Center to Greenbelt 1; SM North EDSA to SM Megamall; Robinson’s Galleria to Park Square and Fairview to Makati. It is also operating 24 hours in the routes of SM North EDSA to SM Megamall and Trinoma to Glorietta 5. (PNA)
