DAVAO CITY – Ten new low-floor city buses, expected to enhance public transportation in the city, arrived at the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal on Tuesday.
The 12-meter-long units, acquired under the Davao Interim Bus Service (DIBS) of the city government, are equipped with access ramps for persons with disabilities, bicycle racks, CCTV cameras, and automated passenger counters.
Set to begin operations by mid-November, the DIBS buses will serve as an interim solution to Davao City’s transport challenges, initially offering free rides to Dabawenyos during peak hours.
The DIBS is a fully funded program, conceptualized and operated by the city government.
“We mentioned in previous interviews that we were targeting a mid-October launch, but due to delivery delays caused by inclement weather, we are now looking at mid-November,” said project manager Tristan Dwight Domingo in an interview.
Bus routes will be announced in the coming days, pending approval from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and other regulatory agencies.
“We’ve submitted the necessary documents to the LTFRB and are working to comply with the conditions they’ve set,” Domingo, a lawyer, said.
He said drivers are undergoing continuous training and will soon begin hands-on familiarization now that the buses have arrived.
“It will take around two weeks for them to get acquainted with the bus features and the routes they’ll be servicing,” he said.
Domingo also confirmed that dedicated bus stops will be set up across the city.
“All stops will be pre-determined and located at designated points. That’s how public transportation should operate, and we will follow that protocol,” he emphasized.
He informed the public that this is only an initial 10 units, while the city ultimately needs nearly 1,000 buses to establish a fully efficient and reliable public transportation system.
“These 10 buses are primarily intended for peak-hour deployment. This is just a temporary solution while we await the full implementation of the national government’s larger Davao Bus Project,” Domingo said.
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