DOTR rolls out P18.7-B Davao bus project

The Department of Transportation is implementing an P18.7-billion “high priority bus system” in Davao beginning next year.In a statement on Thursday, the DOTr said the project was given the go-ahead by the board of the National Economic and Development Authority.

To be implemented under the DOTr’s Davao Public Transport Modernization Project, the bus system will involve interconnected services along a 137-kilometer core network and 489-km in feeder routes.

The DOTr said the objective was to provide an “efficient and affordable mode of transport for Davaoeños.”

The government aims to fund the project through a loan from the Asian Development Bank.

“This administration is all about growth and development,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said in a statement.

“Growth and development, after all, should cover not just Luzon, but also Visayas and Mindanao,” he added.

Once operational, the bus system will have 29 routes. It is expected to be fully operational by 2023.

Its components are MetroDavao, the core service that connects major commercial centers, and DavaoInter, which will run along eight routes connecting the inner urban areas directly to the Davao Central Business District.

Other components are DavaoFeeder, which will run along nine routes linking smaller centers and areas of more dispersed populations to the MetroDavao services, and DavaoLocal, a link between the outer rural areas of Davao and main transport system or the integrated terminals.

“The DPTMP is an important component of the DOTr’s vision to fast-track growth in Mindanao through vital transportation infrastructure,” Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar said.