The Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DOCTT) yesterday clarified that it is still open even though bus operators have temporarily suspended their operations due to the lockdown.
In a message, DCOTT head Aisa Yusop said that they were informed by the bus operators about needing to stop their operations.
“We did not receive any memorandum or pronouncement from the higher-up,” Yusop said. “It’s the prerogative of the bus operators.”
“In fact our staff (skeletal force), especially the guards are on duty 24/7. Even us here in the admin office, so that if there are queries, we can answer immediately,” she added.
She said that vendors inside will be displaced by the decision of the bus operators. Since the implementation of the regionwide lockdown, it was observed that passengers chose not to travel to avoid being stranded.
The major bus companies operating at the terminal are Bachelor Express, Yellow Bus Line, Inc., LCI Bus Line, ACF Bus Lines, Holy Infant Tours, Mindanao Star and the Davao Metro Shuttle.
Currently, the terminal has 50 bays for buses and during non-peak season, the terminal can accommodate 700 to 800 daily trips, she said.
She noted that some buses have to leave at an interval of every 15 to 30 minutes to avoid stalling the flow of traffic in the terminal and its peripheries.
During peak season, specifically during the Christmas holidays and the observance of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days, the daily trips would shoot up to 1,200 to 1,400, accommodating over 70,000 passengers.
