Robinsons to start second P2P service
Property developer Robinsons Land Corp. has teamed up with bus operator HM Transport Inc. to offer a point-to-point (P2P) bus service from Fairview to Makati and vice versa.
The scheme seeks to provide passengers, especially elderly and persons with disability (PWD), connectivity option with greater ease.
The new service will be launched on Aug. 30, marking the second phase of its P2P bus service. It will originate from Robinsons Novaliches in Brgy. Pasong Putik, Quirino Highway corner Maligaya, Novaliches, Quezon City.
While the P2P service is seen to boost foot traffic in the Novaliches mall, RLC director for public relations Roseann Villegas said in a statement that a greater consideration was the company’s goal to provide additional service to its customers and the communities that host its malls.
“It is the same principle that guides the Lingkod Pinoy Centers, which makes various government agencies more accessible to people by locating satellite offices in Robinsons Malls,” she noted.
The launch of the new P2P service by the end of this month was in anticipation of the increased demand for faster, safer and more convenient transport when the Christmas season begins in September.
“People who have to make the daily commute between Fairview in Quezon City and Makati can now look forward to a quicker, more convenient, comfortable and pleasant ride,” she said, adding that even PWDs, including the wheel-chair bound, and the elderly would find the new transport service “suitable to their needs.”
For a P120 one-way fare, the P2P route will convey passengers straight to their destination—with no stops in-between—on air-conditioned buses equipped with CCTV, WIFI, GPS, LED television sets and reclining seats.
The Fairview-Makati CBD P2P service will leave at 5:30 a.m. every weekday—from Robinsons Novaliches (except on holidays) and is estimated to arrive in Park Square, Makati in an hour-and-a-half to two hours later, depending on the traffic situation on Edsa.
The first bus from Makati going to Fairview will leave at 7:30 a.m. The last bus from Fairview will leave at 8:30 p.m. while the last bus from Makati will leave at 11 p.m.
By following a strict schedule, commuters will have the convenience of knowing exactly when they should be at the terminal as buses will leave at intervals of 30 minutes.
People who have trouble with regular commuter buses—like the PWD and the elderly—are also seen to get on and off with greater ease because the P2P vehicles are specially outfitted with ramps that can be lowered to the level of the sidewalk. They can walk straight or wheel themselves in to the bus without climbing stairs. Space is reserved for one wheelchair bound passenger beside the PWD access, located in the middle of the bus.
Car owners who want to avail themselves of the P2P service can park their vehicles at Robinsons Novaliches mall for free. By using the P2P, Villegas says car owners could cut substantially their daily commuting expenses.
Instead of paying P180, the average parking rate for eight hours a day in Makati, and using P300 worth of fuel for the round-trip from Fairview, they will only be spending P240 for daily bus fare.
For those taking public transportation, Robinsons Novaliches has an MMDA Terminal where they can ride tricycles, jeeps and FX that that are stationed here.
The first P2P service covers the Ortigas-Makati route, starting from Robinsons Galleria.
RLC chose the Fairview-Makati CBD route for the second P2P service because it has a high number of commuters, according to traffic authorities. Villegas said the service would target primarily families, call center agents, senior citizens and PWDs, professionals and white collar workers and students. Seniors, PWD and students get the 20 percent discount mandated by law and will have to pay only P96 each way.
The franchise for the RLC-HM joint venture allows the eventual expansion of the P2P fleet of buses to 52 for the two routes—Ortigas-Makati and Fairview-Makati.
