Love Bus, the iconic public transportation in Metro Manila that was popular in the 1970 and 80s, a project of then First Lady Imelda R. Marcos is making a comeback across the Philippines.
But this is not just a trip down memory lane; these beloved buses will be now offering free rides, aiming to bring much-needed comfort and convenience back to daily commuters.
In President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s fourth State of the Nation Address, he ordered the DOTr to relaunch the “Love Bus” and make it free for passengers.
“Now, we will not only bring back the Love Bus, we will also make it free. This is just a pilot test in Davao and Cebu. Other areas in the Visayas and Mindanao will follow,” said President Marcos.
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said the agency is prepared to roll out the Love Bus, for a more convenient travel experience for passengers.
“We will immediately do what the President wants for our fellow commuters. We will study this (Love Bus) in the coming weeks. Hopefully, before the end of the year, we will start it as a nationwide program,” Dizon said.
He said that the agency will use the existing routes first that the government already launched last week.
“So, that’s 100 modern PUVs in Cebu and about, I think, 15 buses in Davao. Di lang ito bus pati yung modern PUVs gagamitin din atin but they will be branded as Love Bus,” Dizon said.
He clarified that the buses or public utility vehicles (PUVs) will not be retrofitted.
“We don’t retrofit; we we are just going to brand it. In Cebu and Davao, it’s already running. We will keep on expanding. We will use the existing routes and we will just subsidize it,” Dizon said.
Meanwhile, the DOTr launched its first Free Ride program in Mindanao, for buses plying the Lasang to Roxas route via Sasa in Davao City.
“We really need to help our kababayans, especially our commuters. The President instructed DOTr to find ways to provide some assistance to our commuters, especially students and senior citizens all over the country,” Dizon said.
“That’s a big deal because from Lasang to Downtown, P100 roundtrip. So, the six thousand passengers who ride this route every day will save P00 every week,” he added.
The DOTr and LTFRB are also studying the addition of buses on the said route, and the addition of other routes with free rides like Cabaguio.
The budget allocated for the free ride will reach P70 million per year, which will run from 6 to 9 a.m. and 5 to 8 p.m., every day including weekends and holidays. The free ride will continue until 2028.
DOTr also rolled out its free ride program in Cebu on the Urgello-Parkmall route.
According to the secretary, the Free Ride Program will help more than 400 drivers and operators because their income is fixed and they no longer have to chase the boundary through the Service Contracting Program (SCP).
The budget allocated for the free ride for one year is P125 million for the Urgello-Parkmall route, where about 20,000 passengers ride daily.
The DOTr is also studying opening free rides on other routes, such as the Talisay-IT Park route, where many call center agents ride.
The free ride will continue daily, every 6-9am and 5-8pm, until 2028.
This is the first free ride in the Visayas, and free rides will also be launched for public utility buses in Davao tomorrow, which is the first in Mindanao.
