Barangay Catalunan Grande and the C.P. Garcia Highway (Diversion Road) are identified as the initial routes for the operation of Davao Integrated Bus System (DIBS), a transient to High Priority Bus System (HPBS).
City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) head Dionisio Abude said their plan is to open six routes for DIBS but they are yet to finalize the remaining four routes.
Abude said they already completed the survey for the two identified routes and its prospective bus stops that was already forwarded to the City Engineer’s Office (CEO) for final assessment and installation.
“In Catalunan, we identified 72 bus stops. In CP Garcia, almost 42 bus stops are identified,” Abude said during ISpeak media forum on Thursday.
Upon operation of DIBS, all public utility jeepneys (PUJs) operating in Catalunan Grande to Roxas Avenue and C.P. Garcia Highway to Sasa routes can no longer continue the operation. According to Abude, an estimation of 440 PUJ drivers in two identified routes will be affected with this new transportation scheme of the city.
He said PUJs can still ferry commuters up to the bus stops especially on subdivisions but this recommendation is still subject for discussion with other officials.
The city government will also provide financial assistance to the affected operators and drivers.
From the series of consultations conducted by CTTMO, Abude said 92% of 1,200 respondents agreed to the operation of new bus system.
