Know Your Bus Series: Jasper Jean Services, Inc.

 

Photo By: Josh Hernandez

Founded in 2001 with just one bus, Jasper Jean is well-known among Caviteños is the go-to bus for Metro Manila trips. Since 2003, Jasper Jean is granted the franchise Pala-pala Dasmarinas Cavite - Navotas via EDSA route, the longest recognized city bus route before 2018 (59 kilometers, 1 km short of the 60-km city route distance limit). The LTFRB also approved the transfer to their name franchises of the Baclaran-Malanday and Cavite City-Baclaran routes sometime in 2008 or 2009. In 2018, its provincial routes were amended to ply the Dasmarinas-PITX route, and in 2019 it was awarded the Lancaster New City-PITX route after satisfactorily complying with LTFRB bid requirements.

Jasper Jean's units are recognizable by the large, bold names at the windshield, its yellow and orange livery, and (especially in its earlier years, before the LTFRB regulated bus advertising) full-body wrap advertising first Cavite bus company to widely deploying advertisement-wrapped units.

Their fleet, which started from second-hand Japanese city buses, consists of in-house-bodied Hino, Isuzu, Dongfeng and Higer units, Hyundai, King Long, Guilin Daewoo, Yutong CBU, And Volvo.

Jasper Jean's business ventures include Joyful Journey Shuttle, serving industrial parks and Lancaster New City, and advertising. It is also related (by familial connection) to DSN Business Partner Transport, Inc., which uses the Jasper Jean branding.

Jasper Jean operates 24 hours a day from its Dasmarinas terminal, leaving for Ortigas bus stop most of the time, and for Navotas terminal from midnight to sunrise and on Sundays.

Additional trivia: Before 2018, city bus routes were limited to 60 kilometers. EDSA city bus routes extending to provincial suburbs (examples are Pacita, SJDM, Sta. Maria) were granted city bus status as long as they reach no more than 60 km; most of them are 50-55 km long. Two "city bus" routes were officially designated provincial buses for exceeding 60 km: BBL Trans' Balibago-SM Fairview (61 km) and Shanine & Pauline's Angat-Leveriza (62 km if via McArthur EDSA). Both of these routes are nowadays considered de facto city bus routes especially by authorities such as MMDA who required both to join the Bus Management Dispatch System.