THE PROPOSAL to construct three additional terminals to decongest the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) is underway.
During the iSpeak Media Forum on Thursday, DCOTT manager Aisa Usop said the technical working group is led by assistant city administrator Atty. Tristan Dwight Domingo, also the manager of the Davao Bus Project.
“The proposal is to have three bus terminals in Toril, Calinan, and Bunawan,” Usop said.
The initial plan was to construct the bus terminals near the Task Force checkpoints but it’s still subject to change.
Usop added that DCOTT cannot request major renovations and rehabilitations of the terminal in Ecoland pending the proposed construction.
“Kung makita nato atong stalls and stands dilapidated na because of that plan and project,” she said.
She added that the construction of the new terminals will be harmonized with the Davao City Public Transportation Modernization Project or the Davao Bus Project.
In the meantime, DCOTT remains the primary bus terminal, catering to 50,000 or more daily.
Usop said the average bus trips daily range from 700 to 800 on regular days, which increase from 1,000 to 1,500 during peak periods of the year.
To note, the management pushed for the immediate construction of two bus terminals in 2020, one each in the northern and southern areas, as the existing facility Ecoland is already beyond capacity.
The official said the 1.7-hectare DCOTT is already “outdated” since it was constructed in 1984 when only a few bus units operated.
