Founded | 1995 |
---|---|
Commenced operation | 1996 (Bus) |
Headquarters | Ecoland Drive, Matina, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines |
Service area | Mindanao, Visayas & Luzon |
Service type | City & Provincial Operation |
Alliance | Go-Mindanao Tour Bus (subsidiary) Annil Transport (subsidiary) |
Destinations | |
Fleet | 300+ units in total [1] [2] 180 units in Davao Region and Soccsksargen [3] [4] 60 units in Caraga 30 units in Eastern Visayas 30 units in Go-Mindanao Tour Bus subsidiary [5] |
Daily ridership | 25,000+ [3] [4] |
Operator | Davao Metro Shuttle Corporation |
President | Emerald Uy |
Website | http://davaometroshuttle.com |
Davao Metro Shuttle Corporation (DMS), also known as Davao Metro Shuttle Bus Company, Inc., is a large bus company in Mindanao, Philippines. It operates bus transport services in and outside Davao Region with its headquarters, main garage and offices in Davao City. [6] Its main terminals are located in Davao City and Tagum. [7]
Davao Metro Shuttle started as a local taxi service in 1995 serving the city of Davao in what has been a partnership between businessmen Rey T. Uy (who later went on to be mayor of Tagum) and Reynaldo Alba. When it procured its first air-conditioned bus units in 1996, its first service was the Davao-Digos route. In 1998 the company started servicing the Davao-Tagum route after purchasing 20 non-aircon bus units. In 1998 their range of service once again expanded when they started servicing the Davao-Kidapawan route using Daewoo buses.
As time went on, and as the company went cycles of financial setbacks and recovery, its service routes expanded greatly on time to include Bansalan, Malita, Monkayo, Compostela, New Bataan, & Laak.
The Davao Metro shuttle is set to launch the Go-Mindanao Tour Bus program in 2017, an initiative supported by the Department of Tourism. They are targeting to launch the route by March next year which would initially travel from the city to Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro and Butuan. [3] [4] [7] [8]
On 2 August 2017 the company started servicing the Davao-Butuan-Nasipit route for the first time using Guilin Daewoo buses. Shortly thereafter the company's Go-Mindanao Tour Bus program officially commenced operation as a few of its units, specifically high-deck buses procured from Zhengzhou Yutong Bus covered with stickers of the Go-Mindanao Tour Bus brand, started plying the Davao-Butuan and Davao-New Bataan routes.
On 8 November 2018 the company, under its Go-Mindanao Tour Bus subsidiary brand, started plying the Butuan-Bislig route using then newly acquired Golden Dragon luxury buses, marking the first instance that, although the company bears the namesake of the city and the situate region it was mainly serving and based from, the company served completely outside its main areas of operation.
On 15 June 2022, the company entered the Davao-Manila overland route, [9] marking the first time it serviced areas in Luzon and finally entered service in all three major Philippine island groups.
Its service area within Davao Region once again expanded in July 2023 when the company entered the Davao-Compostela-Cateel-Boston route with 18 buses in total plying vice versa. [10] The next year in 13 March 2024, it also entered the Davao-Cateel-Baganga route with 17 bus units. [11]
The first bus units of Davao Metro Shuttle came from Nissan Diesel and Daewoo Bus. Later, they also have units from Hino. In 2008 they purchased units from Xiamen Golden Dragon Bus, the first in Mindanao, and in 2010 they purchased units from Zhengzhou Yutong Bus.
To date, the fleet of Davao Metro Shuttle is composed of buses and minibuses acquired from Yutong, Golden Dragon, Hino, Daewoo, Nissan Diesel, Hyundai and Volvo. The company was also the first in the Philippines to field buses from Vietnamese bus bodybuilder THACO acquired in year 2020. [12]
Currently, the company is the largest indigenous bus company in Mindanao, possessing more than 200 bus units including from its Go-Mindanao subsidiary.
Davao Metro shuttle launched the Go-Mindanao Tour Bus program in 2017, an initiative supported by the Department of Tourism. The bus route highlights routes passing through tourist spots along Bukidnon to Butuan.
This is the intra-city bus routes that service Calinan District to Roxas Avenue and Bankerohan in Davao City. It was a former subsidiary of Yellow Bus Line but was acquired by DMS in 2019. It features 2 Volvo B8RLE with the bodies of the bus manufactured by Autodelta.
Despite its name, Davao Metro Shuttle not only serves the Metro Davao area. The company also operates routes in other parts of Mindanao, the Visayas and Luzon.
Davao Region is the main and home operational area of Davao Metro Shuttle, with the overland transport terminals of the cities of Davao and Tagum serving as its main hubs. Also, the Davao-Tagum express route had its main hub and terminal at Ayala Abreeza Mall in J.P. Laurel St., Davao City.
Living up to its name, Davao Metro Shuttle also offers city shuttle routes within Davao City as part of the city's Peak-Hour Augmentation Bus Service program. [13] Augmenting it is its acquisition of the local city liner Annil Transport in September 2019, therefore expanding its shuttle service area within the city. [1]
Davao Metro Shuttle's North Cotabato branch and garage is located in Bartolaba Subdivision, Barangay Lanao, Kidapawan City, North Cotabato. While serving the area with its routes to the cities of Davao and Digos in Davao Region, locally it also serves the Kidapawan-Arakan route from its local hub in Kidapawan City Overland Terminal, Barangay Poblacion, Kidapawan City.
Davao Metro Shuttle has its Caraga regional branch located in Barangay Bading, Butuan, Agusan del Norte. Destinations solely within Caraga region are mostly served by the company's tourist line subsidiary, Go-Mindanao Tour Bus.
The entrance of Davao Metro Shuttle in Leyte on 5 July 2019 marked the first time the company ventured outside its main areas of operation in Mindanao and the second time the company operated outside its home operational area at Davao Region. Its Eastern Visayas branch office is located at War Veterans Avenue, Ormoc City, Leyte.
Davao Metro Shuttle acquired the Davao-Manila route via Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Resolution No. 2019–039 in early 2021. [14] It launched the said route on 15 June 2022 with 15 bus units acquired from THACO with the inauguration held at Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) in Metro Manila, [9] [15] marking the first time the company rendered service within Metro Manila and Luzon and serving an inter-island overland route that spanned Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao which is the longest overland bus route in the Philippines.
Tagum, officially the City of Tagum, is a component city and capital of the Davao del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 296,202 people making it the most populous component city in Mindanao and in Davao del Norte, as well as the second most populous in Davao Region after Davao City.
The Pan-Philippine Highway, also known as the Maharlika Highway, is a network of roads, expressways, bridges, and ferry services that connect the islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao in the Philippines, serving as the country's principal transport backbone. Measuring 3,379.73 kilometers (2,100.07 mi) long excluding sea routes not counted by highway milestones, it is the longest road in the Philippines that forms the country's north–south backbone component of National Route 1 (N1) of the Philippine highway network. The entire highway is designated as Asian Highway 26 (AH26) of the Asian Highway Network.
Victory Liner, Inc. (VLI) is a bus company in the Philippines that was established in 1945 by José Hernandez, is recognized as one of the primary providers of bus transportation in the Philippines, servicing key locations across Luzon. Initially using a fleet of repurposed military vehicles, the company was instrumental in meeting the post-WWII demand for public transport.
Vallacar Transit Incorporated (VTI) is a Philippine transportation service under the umbrella of the Yanson Group of Bus Companies (YGBC), serving as its flagship subsidiary.
Metro Davao, officially Metropolitan Davao, is a metropolitan area in Mindanao, Philippines. It includes the cities of Davao, Digos, Mati, Panabo, Samal and Tagum and spanned parts of all five provinces of the Davao Region. Metro Davao is one of three metropolitan areas in the Philippines. It is administered by the Metropolitan Davao Development Authority. It is the largest metropolitan region by land area and the second most populous in the Philippines.
Joanna Jesh Transport Corporation (JJT) is one of the largest city bus companies in the Philippines. It plies routes from Food Terminal Incorporates in Taguig to Navotas.
Fermina Express, Corporation (FermEx) is a commuter bus company servicing Metro Manila. The company is under the umbrella of Mencorp Transport Systems Incorporated.
Dagupan Bus Co., Inc., is a provincial bus company based in Dagupan, Pangasinan. This company was a sister company of Saulog Transit up until the company's management was transferred to JAC Liner Inc., and Genesis Transport following Dagupan Bus' sellout in 2015.
Genesis Transport Service, Inc., is a provincial bus company in the Philippines, operating routes connecting Metro Manila to Central Luzon and Northern Luzon.
HM Transport Inc. is one of the largest bus companies in the Philippines. It offers both provincial and city operations, servicing routes from Metro Manila to Laguna province and vice versa. Its city operation subsidiary, Worthy Transport Inc. services routes from Airport Loop, Pasay, Plaza Lawton, Manila Lagusnilad Underpass, FTI Complex, Taguig, Baclaran, Parañaque, Ayala Avenue, Makati and Pacita Complex, San Pedro, Laguna, all the way to SM Fairview in Quezon City.
Ceres Transport, Incorporated, is a bus company under the umbrella of Yanson Group of Bus Companies (YGBC). Based in Batangas City, it operates bus transport services in Batangas and Metro Manila, using the Strong Republic Nautical Highway.
Kellen Transport Incorporated or simply KTI is a city bus company formed as a subsidiary of former Jell Transport, Inc. or JTI. It plies the previous routes from Baclaran, Parañaque to Grotto, San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. Now they operating in EDSA Carousel route under the ES Consortium. It's a subsidiary of ES Transport Inc., which a parent company operates both city and provincial operations.
Mindanao Star Bus Transport, Incorporated(formerly Weena Express, People's Transport Corporation) is a bus line under the umbrella of Yanson Group of Bus Companies (YGBC). It operates bus transport services from Davao City, to Soccsksargen Region, base in Ma-a, Davao City. Mindanao Star was once a part of Bachelor Express, but was later formed as an independent subsidiary of Yanson Group.
Yellow Bus Line, Incorporated (YBLI) is a large bus company in Mindanao. It operates bus transport services in central and southern Mindanao with its headquarters in General Santos. Its company-owned terminals and offices are located in General Santos and Koronadal City.
Husky Tours is a bus company that is based in General Santos and has direct operations to the cities of General Santos, Cotabato and Cotabato City. They were often dubbed as "Husky Bus" or "Husky" by their passengers, and by several tour blogging sites. Their operations are headed by Biocrest Multi-Purpose Cooperative, a cooperative formed by the officers of Biocrest Corporation and Eleventh Corporation in General Santos
JAM Liner Inc. is a bus company that serves direct routes from Manila to provinces of Laguna, Batangas and Quezon. Dennise Trajano serves as JAM Liner's President and CEO as well as Philtranco Services Enterprises, Incorporated.
Pabama Corporation, also known as Pabama Tours, Pabama Transport and Pabama Transport and Tours Corporation, is a bus company based in Kibawe town, Bukidnon province in the island of Mindanao in southern Philippines. It serves the routes between the city of Cagayan de Oro, the province of Bukidnon and the city of Gingoog.
The Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange is a public transport terminal in Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines. PITX is built and operated by Megawide Construction Corporation and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) under the Philippine government's Public-Private Partnership program.
The Mindanao Railway, previously known as the Trans-Mindanao High Speed Railway, is a proposed railway system in Mindanao, the southernmost major island of the Philippines. Originally proposed in 1936 as part of Manuel L. Quezon's efforts to strengthen the presence of Commonwealth government in Mindanao against the rising influence of Imperial Japan before World War II, the line was shelved. Other proposals and studies were made in the 1950s, 1990s, and the 2000s, but never materialized. The current line began development in 2018; however, construction has yet to start. It will be initially built as a single-track standard gauge system to be operated by diesel-powered rolling stock, but will have provisions for upgrading to double-track and electrification through overhead lines.