Passengers thronged bus terminals in Quezon City Thursday, October 30, to travel to their home provinces ahead of the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, or Undas.
In an interview with Inquirer, Genesis Bus Terminal management reported that 40 buses, each seating 45 passengers, departed between 12 a.m. and 8 a.m. The vehicles carried an estimated 2,250 passengers to destinations including Baguio City, Pampanga, Bataan, Olongapo, and Baler.
The 40 departures more than doubled the usual 20 buses on regular days.
At Baliwag Bus Terminal, 31 49-seater buses, carrying an estimated 1,500 passengers, departed for Bulacan and Nueva Ecija from the first trip at 2:30 a.m. until 7 a.m.
Baliwag dispatcher Alex Manango said the figures significantly exceeded normal days, when only 25 buses typically reach full seating capacity in the same time frame.
‘It is expected that this number will increase in the afternoon, around noon, and in the evening because tomorrow is a holiday. There will surely be more passengers later,’ Manango said in Filipino.
At Five Star Bus Terminal, 22 buses carrying a total of 990 passengers traveled to Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Pampanga, and Isabela from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.
Management noted the morning traffic was still normal, but expects a surge in passengers in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, Cisco Bus Terminal, which serves routes to Nueva Ecija and Pangasinan, recorded an estimated 765 passengers aboard 17 buses from 1:30 a.m. to 8 a.m.
On Wednesday, acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said the management and operators of public transportation, including bus terminals, have been placed on heightened alert to ensure a safe and orderly travel period for the Undas holiday.