High fuel prices push Holy Week travelers to public transport

Rising fuel prices are pushing more travelers to leave their private vehicles behind and opt for public transportation, with terminals such as the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) seeing a surge in passenger volume.

According to Oscar Oida's report on "24 Oras," many passengers at PITX were already lining up early on Wednesday to secure bus tickets, including Nicole, who said she chose to report to work instead of traveling home ahead of the weekend to avoid the rush.

“Sayang naman po kasi ‘yung sweldo ngayon kaya pumasok na lang po ako,” she said, adding that she preferred a hassle-free trip to her hometown in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

(I didn’t want to waste my salary, so I just went ahead and reported for work.)

The PITX management expects passenger numbers to peak during the day, potentially surpassing last year’s turnout, which exceeded 200,000 travelers.

Jason Salvador, head of corporate communications of PITX, said the surge in commuters is largely driven by high fuel costs.

“Napakataas ng presyo ng produktong petrolyo. Nakikita natin na ang mga dating motorista na nagdadala ng kani-kanilang pribadong sasakyan patungo sa mga probinsya ay ngayon nagpa-public transport na o nagbo-bus,” Salvador said.

(Fuel prices are very high. We can see that motorists who used to bring their private vehicles to the provinces are now opting for public transport or taking buses.)

He added that there are sufficient buses available to accommodate passengers, noting that special permits have also been issued in recent days to help meet demand.

Salvador also said some operators had initially signaled a reduction in trips, but eventually complied and continued deploying units.

On reports of alleged unauthorized fare increases by some bus companies, PITX said these have already been reverted to previous rates.

“Wala pa namang pinapataw na suspensyon, as far as I know. At kailangan din naman natin ng serbisyo para sa lahat,” Salvador said.

(As far as I know, no suspension has been imposed yet. We also need services for the public.)

Meanwhile, government agencies conducted inspections at PITX throughout the day to ensure smooth operations and passenger safety.

These included the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), the Office for Transport Security (OTS), and the Bureau of Fire Protection.

OTS Administrator USec. Gilbert Cruz said they flagged a safety issue involving a passenger bus that had a fire extinguisher tied with steel wire.

“May nasita kami dahil nakatali ng alambre. Inabot ng walong segundo bago ito matanggal, at dapat ay madaling mahugot. Kung ganoon katagal, delikado na iyon,” Cruz said.

(We flagged one unit because it was tied with wire. It took eight seconds to remove it, and it should have been easily detachable. If it takes that long, that’s already dangerous.)

“Kasi ang dina-drive mo rito ay hindi lang buhay mo kundi ang kaligtasan at seguridad ng mga pasahero, at malaking obligasyon iyon,” he added.

(As public transport drivers, what they are driving here is not just their own life, but also the safety and security of the passengers, and that is a great responsibility.)

As of 6 p.m., PITX reported that passenger volume had reached 157,000.

Despite the influx, PITX management assures that buses remain available, though they advise passengers to arrive early to secure tickets and avoid delays, noting that demand has consistently exceeded expectations in recent days.—MCG, GMA News