To ease long queues and shorten waiting time at the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT), passengers are now encouraged to pre-book bus seats by purchasing tickets from online booking platforms.
DCOTT manager Aisa Usop said the move for the online booking of bus tickets was studied by DCOTT authorities for quite some time and was only fully realized after convening with the various bus companies operating in the terminal.
“Gihangyo nato ang atong bus operators to have their own online booking kay nakita nato nga mao na’y isa sa solusyon sa influx of passengers na matanggong diha sa sulod sa atoang terminal (We asked our bus operators to have their own online booking because we saw that this is one of the solutions to the influx of passengers that may be stuck within the terminal),” said Usop.
Usop said the move was highly welcomed by all bus operators at the DCOTT. In fact, some of them have already made their seats available for reservation in their own platforms or in third party service providers.
Though purchasing tickets online may entail additional fees and may not cover all routes and destinations, Usop said, families with children or elderly passengers travelling long distances are especially encouraged to try pre-booking their seats with bus companies that have the online booking system.
Those who pre-book will have a separate queue from passengers who buy their tickets at the terminal, ensuring a more convenient travel experience.
“Kay kung naa na ka’y ticket, ang mahitabo ana naa na ka’y lingkuranan, naa na ka’y bus number, time kung kanus-a ka mubyahe. And our commitment also to our operators is to have a special lane alang sa atong mga pasahero na naa na’y ticket kay basig mabyaan pud sila (Because if you already have a ticket, what happens is that you will already have a seat, a bus number and the time of your trip. And our commitment to our operators is to have a special lane for our passengers with pre-booked tickets to make they will not be left behind),” she added.
The Rural Transit, Bachelor Express, Mindanao Star, Metro Shuttle Bus, Philtranco, ACF Bus Line, and the Yellow Bus Line are some of the major bus companies with operations at the DCOTT that are currently offering online seat reservations for particular routes. More routes from other bus lines will soon be available for online booking.
The DCOTT manager added that passengers can still make seat reservations by calling bus companies. However, the DCOTT management is urging passengers to try booking their seats through online platforms.
“Kung gusto sila mu-inquire, i-open nila ang DCOTT (FMOD) page. Naa diha ang tanang buses nato, ang ilang ruta, pila dapat ang ilang bayaran, and naa pud dira kung unsa na website sila musulod (If they want to inquire, they can open the DCOTT (FMOD) page. All our buses are there, their route, how much they have to pay, and it also contains the links for what website they should access),” Usop added.
For more information on the online booking process, click here: https://m.facebook.com/DCOTT(FMOD). CIO
