THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) should require all bus companies to have an online booking platform for passengers to ease congestion during the holiday rush, a congressman said on Sunday.
Allowing passengers to buy bus tickets ahead of time could reduce congestion at transport terminals by easing long queues during the seasonal rush, Quezon Rep. Reynante U. Arrogancia said.
“For the convenience of passengers, the Department of Transportation should require all bus lines to have an option of advanced online booking and payment of bus tickets,” Mr. Arrogancia, a vice-chairperson of the House transportation committee, said in a statement.
“Advance online booking benefits passengers by giving them peace of mind, knowing they already have a ticket and a guaranteed seat on the bus,” he added. “It also works to the advantage of bus companies, enabling them to better predict passenger volumes and allocate the necessary buses and drivers for operations.”
Thousands of Filipinos are expected to flock to bus terminals during the Christmas break as they head to their vacation destinations for the holiday.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority in early December has already permitted provincial buses to ply the Philippine capital region major’s thoroughfare, Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), to accommodate the surge of commuters during the Christmas break. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio