Make this your preferred source to get more updates from this publisher on Google.
Bus trips from the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) are now fully booked for the Holy Week rush.
According to a “24 Oras” Weekend report by Darlene Cay, more than 70% of trips bound for Bicol are fully booked through April 2, Maundy Thursday.
Routes to Laguna, Batangas, Quezon, Mindoro, as well as the Visayas and Mindanao, are also fully booked until Maundy Thursday.
One bus company in the terminal said all its trips are already fully booked through Good Friday.
“Yung ordinary [bus] namin ngayon, napuno na rin. Kaya wala na talagang bakante,” said bus company employee Eddie Ramboyong.
(Even our ordinary buses are now full. There are no more available seats.)
“Chance passengers na lang po ang natitira… Advanced po kasi ng dalawang buwan ang booking, karamihan nag-online na,” added ticket teller Samantha Balcueva.
(Only slots for chance passengers remain. Most bookings were made online as early as two months in advance.)
Throughout the day, passengers waited between three to four hours for chance tickets, while others either gave up or bought tickets at higher prices.
The terminal is also facing a limited supply of buses, partly due to the impact of recent fuel price hikes.
PITX said it is coordinating with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to ensure sufficient bus availability.
“Upang ma-optimize ang operations, sisiguruhin nilang fully booked ang mga biyahe bago umalis. Ibig sabihin, magkakaroon ng kaunting paghihintay at pagpila ang ating mga kababayan,” said PITX Corporate Affairs Head Jason Salvador.
(To optimize operations, they will ensure trips are fully booked before departure, which may result in some waiting time and queues for passengers.)
The LTFRB has issued more than 1,200 special permits for Holy Week travel and continues to monitor demand for possible additional permits.
However, authorities emphasized that no fare increases should be implemented during this period.—Jiselle Anne C. Casucian/MCG, GMA Integrated News
