DAVAO CITY—The city’s diversion road is now open to public commuter service, allowing a direct north-south link without passing through the vehicle traffic-infested downtown roads and the main highways.
Starting February 4, the Davao Metro Shuttle bus was granted the franchise for its 14 low-floor buses to service this six-lane Carlos P. Garcia highway that served as a freeway for vehicles traversing the north-to-south areas of the city.
The buses will observe a schedule of about 20 minutes interval per bus, as mandated under the city’s high-priority bus system, which started test runs on the Catalunan Grande and Toril routes in 2019 and were expected to go full blast last year. The bus system will eventually replace the jeepneys on the roads in the city.
The third route opened for the bus system will observe 24 designated stops along the entire stretch of the 18-kilometer highway, from the junction of the bypass road in Ulas in the south, to the end of the diversion road, at the junction of the Panacan and Sasa highways, and to turn right going to the Sasa Wharf.
The designated stops are at the corner McArthur Highway, near La Vista Monte Subdivision, Matina Pangi intersection, Las Terrazas, GAP Farm, NHA Ma-a, Choice Mart, Crocodile Park, cor. Jade Valley, cor. El Rio, fronting San Ignacio School, Shell (Monclair), Buhangin Gym, San Isidro School, NHA Buhangin, Commission on Audit (COA), Laverna Hills, Camp Catitipan, Airport Layby, Landmark III, Relocation (Juanas Kubo), Panacan Junction, NCCC and MINCOR in Sasa.
Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said, “transportation and mobility play an important role in communication, trade, tourism and other forms of exchange between people. As such, there is a need for the public to have access to safe and efficient modes of transportation and travel.”
“With the Interim Bus System Project, we hope to bring convenience and ease of transport to the riding public through the deployment of buses in selected areas,” she said.
The Metro Shuttle buses are fully air-conditioned with beep card for cashless transaction, said Metro Shuttle Corp. Chief Executive Officer De Carlo “Oyo” L. Uy.