IMUS CITY, Cavite — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is set to launch by the second quarter of 2018 additional Premium Point-to-Point Bus Service (P2P) routes connecting the cities of Bacoor, Imus, and Dasmariǹas, including Noveleta town, to Makati City.
In a telephone conversation Saturday, DOTr’s Assistant Secretary for Transport Mark Richmund de Leon said the P2P transport system, one of the DOTr’s priority projects to alleviate traffic congestion, is in response to the commuters’ need for a safe, convenient, and comfortable transport system.
Aimed at connecting commuters from their home to workplace, this transport system introduced the “park and ride or kiss and ride concept”.
De Leon said the “park and ride” is for car owners who can leave their car parked in the mall then ride the P2P bus to their destination while the “kiss and ride” is for people, specifically parents/guardians, who may opt to bring their kids/loved ones to the terminal and kiss before boarding the premium bus ride.
The point-to-point service commitment prohibits frequent stops, as the buses will travel directly from the terminals to their drop off points.
DOTr is now in the final stages of selecting operators, “which we hope to release next week or the week after”, as interested players were done submitting all the legal, technical, and financial documentary requirements, as specified by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
“Dapat financially capable, may pera sa bangko, at may garahe,” (They must be financially capable, with money in the bank, and a garage), de Leon said. “The DOTr targets 15 bus units per new route at the minimum.”
“We will increase based on the demand,” with terminals located inside the malls with their specific locations to be decided upon by the selected operators, he added.
In June last year, the DOTr opened its initial two Cavite P2P routes in Dasmariǹas and Bacoor, connecting commuters to Alabang, Muntinlupa City.
The four new routes in Cavite, once fully operational, would bring the total to six P2P routes in Cavite. (Gladys Pino/PNA)