PHABS under study

The city government has no order to stop the implementation of the Peak Hours Augmentation Bus Services (PHABS) to augment the lack of public transportation during peak hours currently but is studying whether to continue amid the closing of the school year.

The current route of PHABS traverse through Toril and Catalunan Grande routes.

“We will study if the high demand of passengers will prevail but if not, we will look into it if we will cease their operation in the meantime,” Atty. Tristan Dwight Domingo, assistant city administrator said.

Domingo also said that the routes where PHABS ply currently will also be the focus of the implementation of the High Priority Bus System (HPBS) soon.

The HPBS is the plan in modernizing the transport system in the city.

“For PHABS, we are specifically looking at the Catalunan Grande area,” he said.

“Also, in the diversion area. The local government plans to have the primary routes in these areas,” Domino added.

Meanwhile, according to Domingo, there are still no available city-type buses for PHABS in Mintal and Cabantian.

“Our request at the LTFRB main office is still pending because they recommend to have city-type buses but we found out that there are only limited bus companies with those type of buses,” Domingo said.

“The government is still studying if they will just use provincial-type buses for these new routes,” he added. (Julianne A. Suarez)