DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 24 March) — The Davao Metro Shuttle Corporation has declined the offer of the City Government of Davao to operate the Davao City Public Transport Modernization Project (DCPTMP), a public mass transportation project that will replace the jeepneys with buses, an executive of the bus company said.
In an interview at the sidelines of the Kapihan sa Philippine Information Agency (PIA) on Friday, Emerald Uy, the company’s chief executive officer, said the Davao Metro Shuttle was tapped to handle the management of the DCPTMP or the High Priority Bus System but did not accept the offer because it would be “challenging” to meet the requirements of the bus system project.
She said the bus project would demand a huge workforce, particularly bus drivers.
According to City Information Office, the new bus system would hire at least 2,000 bus drivers.
Uy said that under the proposed arrangement, the bus company will serve as the “operator” of the bus system, including the hiring and training of the labor force.
“What will happen is that the Davao City (local government unit) will provide the units but it will be us who will take care of the management side, including the hiring and training of the personnel. But we think that it will be difficult for us to look for the staff because – I don’t know what’s up with the generation now – the turnover is too quick these days,” she said.
The total project cost of P73.4 billion will be funded by a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), national budget, and local budget.
The Philippine government signed a $1-billion (P54.89 billion) loan agreement with the ADB for the HPBS in Dava City on July 1, 2023.
In a press release, the ADB announced that the the loan would “support the procurement of a modern fleet of about 1,100 electric and Euro 5-standard diesel-fueled buses with operations managed by the private sector under performance-based contracts.”
Uy added that even the bus company is short-staffed and is continuously looking for bus drivers to meet its own labor demand.
“Not that it’s costly on our part but it’s more of the stress in managing the labor,” she added.
According to ADB, the HPBS would service about 800,000 passengers per day.
It said the project would include the “construction of around 1,000 bus stops with bright lighting and shelters, five bus depots and three bus terminals, and provide bus driving training for the new system.”
Once operational, the HPBS will have 29 bus routes divided into four tiers: MetroDavao which will form the core services that connect all major commercial centers along five routes), DavaoInter which will run along with eight routes connecting the inner urban areas directly to the Davao Central Business District, DavaoFeeder which will run along nine routes linking smaller centers and areas of more dispersed populations to the MetroDavao services, and DavaoLocal which will provide a link between the outer rural areas of the city and main transport system or the integrated terminals.
Under the bus system, around 1,000 bus stops will be put up at a distance of 500 meters in between stops along the 29 bus routes around the city. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)