ILOILO City – The first premium point-to-point bus services in Western Visayas are rolling out today with the Iloilo Business Park of property giant Megaworld as main hub in Panay Island.
The project is part of the government’s flagship Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program spearheaded by the Department of Transportation.
According to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Region 6, 106 P2P buses with auto-pay system will be launched, serving the following routes:
* Iloilo Business Park to Iloilo Airport
* Iloilo Business Park to Roxas Airport
* Iloilo Business Park to Kalibo Airport
* Iloilo Business Park to Caticlan Airport (Boracay), and vice versa.
LTFRB Region 6, according to Regional Director Richard Osmeña, will also simultaneously launch other modernized PUVs composed of 365 taxis and 165 jeepneys, also equipped with the auto-pay system.
To serve the requirements of the region’s first premium P2P service, Megaworld is opening its Transport Hubs this year at the Iloilo Business Park.
The P350-million Iloilo Business Park Transport Hubs will have two terminals – one for departures and another for arrivals – strategically located along the township’s Megaworld Boulevard in front of the Festive Walk Mall.
“We aim to provide world-class and convenient service in land transport for the local and international travelers in and out of Iloilo City,” said Jose Arnulfo Batac, head of estate management, Megaworld.
Each terminal, sitting on a 4,000-square meter lot each, will feature its own Traveler’s Lounge, an air-conditioned facility where passengers can relax and wait for their trips at the Departure Terminal, and also wait for their transits or pick-up vehicles at the Arrival Terminal.
Each lounge will have shower rooms and toilets, all for the convenience of departing and arriving passengers.
“Hopefully, this will serve as a model for other transport hubs in the region,” said Batac.
At the Traveler’s Lounge of the Departure Terminal, passengers will also have the convenience of booking and purchasing their tickets at its own Ticketing Booths.
It will also have Breastfeeding Stations, and Free WiFi access.
Each terminal will also have its own Food Park where passengers can indulge in wide array for food choices while waiting.
At the second and third level of each terminal, 200 parking slots will be made available for free.
“We thank the LTFRB Region 6 for this partnership, and we hope that we are able to contribute to the success of this modernization campaign for the betterment of the country’s transport industry,” said Batac.
All of Megaworld’s townships, especially those in urban centers, serve as convergence points of motorists and commuters.
“Thus, we integrate transport hubs in our developments to meet the transport needs of the local community,” said Batac.
Megaworld’s Iloilo Business Park in Mandurriao district, Iloilo City is a 72-hectare integrated urban township that is home to rows of residential towers, state-of-the-art office towers, the Festive Walk Mall, the 1.1-kilometer Festive Walk Parade, two first-class hotels (Richmonde Hotel Iloilo and Courtyard by Marriott, the Iloilo Convention Center, the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art (ILOMOCA), and the rising Commercial and Boutique Hotel District./PN
That’s good news. Any information on what the fares for each route will be?