More special bus permits needed amid Holy Week travel surge — DOTr

Around 200,000 passengers are expected to travel through the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange on the peak days of Holy Week, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said on Monday. — Screenshot from Google Maps

MANILA, Philippines — Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon on Monday said more special bus permits should be issued as around 200,000 passengers are expected to travel through the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) on the peak days of Holy Week.

According to figures provided by PITX, from 5 a.m. to noon on Monday alone, around 71,527 passengers entered the terminal.

READ: Holy Week 2025: An INQUIRER.net Special

Due to this, Dizon said more buses should be given special permits to address the surge of travelers.

“Alam niyo aabot ng mahigit 200,000 ang dadagsa dito, siguro ang peak nito ay Wednesday,” said Dizon in a chance interview at PITX.

(You know that over 200,000 people will flock here, and the peak will probably be on Wednesday.)

“May mga nagtatrabaho pa hanggang bukas, Miyerkules talagang dadagsa dito so ngayon pa lang sa LTFRB (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board) kailangan magpadagdag ng mga buses,” he added.

(There are still people working until tomorrow; Wednesday will really be crowded here, so now is the time for the LTFRB to add more buses.)

According to Dizon, the LTFRB has so far issued 1,000 special permits to various bus operators in Metro Manila, including the Edsa Carousel.

Meanwhile, PITX spokesperson Jason Salvador assured the public that the LTFRB has personnel on the ground to issue special permits as necessary to ensure that all passengers could go back to their respective provinces during Holy Week.

“Aside from the special permits that were already issued, meron pa [ang LTFRB] tao on the ground, para kung kakailanganin pa, madali sila makapapagpa-issue agad agad,” Salvador said.

(Aside from the special permits already issued, the LTFRB still has people on the ground, so if needed, they can easily issue them immediately.)

Salvador said Holy Wednesday and Maundy Thursday “historically have had the highest number of travelers” in the terminal, but a passenger surge has been observed as early as April 9, or during the Day of the Valor, and has been on a steady rise since.

“Magmula Wednesday (April 9), bahagyang tumataas na ‘yan, pero tumaas talaga ng malaki over the weekend,” he said in a separate chance interview.

(Since Wednesday, it has been increasing slightly, but it increased significantly over the weekend.)

Salvador then advised the public traveling through PITX to book their tickets in advance to avoid overbooked rides.