BAGUIO CITY — The largest provincial bus company operating in the country’s summer capital has added about 25 trips daily to and from Baguio to accommodate the thousands of travelers to this city.
Victory Liner, Inc. – Baguio station manager Jose Castillo, in a telephone interview on Tuesday night, said they had been fully booked since December 18 and it would continue until New Year’s Day.
He said with the additional trips, the company is now averaging 130 to 140 trips per day from Baguio to Metro Manila with destinations at Cubao, Pasay, Caloocan and Sampaloc. On a regular day, they have 110 to 115 trips for both the regular air-conditioned bus, deluxe and semi-deluxe buses.
Castillo said two trips were added for the deluxe and semi deluxe buses, which do not stop along the way and pass through the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), thus having shortened travel time from Metro Manila to Baguio.
“Every 30 minutes na po ang byahe natin (we have trips every 30 minutes),” he said.
He advised passengers to make early bookings for their convenience but chance passengers are also accommodated as long as there are vacant seats in scheduled trips.
Aside from those coming from Metro Manila, Castillo also said that they have added six trips from the regular 11 trips coming from Olongapo City going to Baguio.
“Nakakuha po tayong special permits sa LTFRB (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board,” allowing them to add trips from different sites going to Baguio.
Castillo said that on a regular day, they accommodate an average of 3,000 passengers but this holiday season, they had an average of 10,000 passengers daily.
He also advised passengers that their last trip to Baguio from different destinations on December 31 will be at 5:00 p.m. and will resume at 1:00 a.m. on January 1. (Liza Agoot/PNA)
