Barney Auto Lines is a provincial bus company based in Atimonan, Quezon. Founded in September 1978, it is currently under the ownership of spouses Barney and Rosela Chito, and operates under a corporate model with the name Barney Auto Lines Group of Companies (BALGCO) Transport, Inc. Barney Chito's brother is Edwin Chito, operator of a separate but related bus company, P&O Transport Corporation. Barney Auto Lines traditionally operated in the Guinayangan Quezon-Sampaloc route, as one of the first companies to operate between the rural coastal town and the national capital. Later, the company was granted the San Andres Quezon-Alabang route, following the footsteps of its neighbor company Superlines who already had a strong presence in Bondoc Peninsula at that time. Its last expansion route took it outside its home province into Sta. Elena, Camarines Norte. While a small town, Sta. Elena nevertheless was a place of high potential as a developing community, and with a lack of tr...

  Photo By: Ron Glenn Aquin/PBPA genesis (noun) - beginning (from Ancient Greek) Genesis Transport Services, Inc. is a bus company operating in Northern and Central Luzon, founded in 1991. Its current President and CEO is Riza Angara Moises, niece of former senator Edgardo Angara. As one of the largest bus companies in the Central Luzon, Genesis boasts a large network of routes where its name have become a household term for safe, efficient, and comfortable travel. The company's genesis was in December of 1991, where Genesis, participating in the government's Bus Installment Purchase Program, bought three midibuses to shuttle passengers between the Paskuhan Village in San Fernando, Pampanga and SM City North EDSA in Quezon City. Shortly after, in 1992, Genesis acquired franchises to operate regularly at the Mariveles-Pasay and Balanga-Pasay routes. Its network expanded to Mariveles-Dimasalang (Manila) and Baler-Pasay in 1993, becoming the first bus company to attempt (and succe...

Photo By: Arnold Zamora/PBPA Raymond Transportation, one of the biggest Bus Companies that serves the Southern Luzon area, particularly in Quezon Province and major parts of Bicolandia, has been inclined on upgrading their fleet of buses to cope up with the increasing demand on Public Utility Buses that are more Traveller and Operator - Friendly amenities, Fuel - Effiecient and most of all, Environment - Friendly. The Refleeting plan of Raymond Transportation started with the Introduction of 2 Zhongtong LCK6118H Elegance in Euro V Emission Standard buses that are now currently serving Infanta in Quezon Province and Tamban in Camarines Sur. In 2019, the company rose to stardom again to the Bus Enthusiasts and Bus Communities alike with the Introduction of their Brand New Volvo B8R Buses, also in Euro V Emission Standard, made by Autodelta Coach Builders Inc. in 2x2 Deluxe and 2x1 Luxury Class that are serving Naga City in Camarines Sur, Legazpi City and Tabaco City in Albay. That same y...

  Photo By: Cristian Pineda/PBPA Erjohn & Almark Transit Corporation is a provincial bus company established in the 90's by Cielito Santiaguel of Las Piñas City. The company name is a composite of Mr. Santiaguel's children's names. In its history of operation, Erjohn and Almark is involved in numerous company acquisitions and divestment, gaining and losing routes and units along the way. The company's first route (possibly as a sole proprietorship under Mr. Santiaguel's name) was the BF Almanza - Lawton - Sta. Cruz route, alongside a relative's company, TAS Trans. At the time, it operated Isuzu city buses in green and yellow livery, with body numbers starting with 20**. At the turn of the century, Erjohn & Almark entered the Cavite sector, operating Nissan Diesel buses now numbered in the 80** series. Its first route at the provincial sector is possibly Silang-Divisoria via Lawton, in direct competition with J.S. Vergara Lines, Regal Starliner and San Ag...

Dagupan Bus Company, Inc. is a provincial bus company operating along the northern and central regions of Luzon. In the course of history of the company, it has always been operated under the supervision of, and integrated with, different companies. To understand Dagupan Bus Company's beginnings, we have to look at the background of Villa Rey Transit, Inc., who sold its franchises to Dagupan's parent, Saulog Transit. Villa Rey Transit, Inc. was a Manila-based company which started as a sole proprietorship under the name of Dr. Jose M. Villarama. Before Dr. Villarama's stellar political career as vice-governor, and then governor of Bulacan in the 1960's, he was a well established businessman in the transportation industry, and probably started operation in the early post-war years. His areas of operation included Bulacan (his home province), Tarlac, and Pangasinan. His fleet of TPU buses and autotrucks would grow so large that people regarded Villa Rey Transit as Pantran...

Photo By: Ron Camia/PBPA Saulog Transit, Inc. is a bus company based in Cavite province. The company was named after the large Saulog clan, who, for generations, managed the company. Founded by Alejandro Saulog in 1946 as an incorporated company and operated and managed by his son Eliseo, it soon became a common name among passengers seeking travel from the province to nearby Rizal (now parts of NCR), Manila, and Zambales at the post-war period, a reputation which it holds to the present day. As a public utility operator, Saulog Transit plied the Naic-Manila, Cavite City-Manila, and Cavite City-Olongapo Zambales route since the late 40's and early 50's, in stiff competition with Luzon Bus Line (not to be confused with Luzon Bus Inc. of Bulacan) at the Naic route (before it closed in 1962), Victory Liner at the Olongapo route, and Saint Raphael Transit, owned by Jose Samala, in the Cavite City-Manila route. Samala was Saulog's archrival in the 1950's, and the two opera...

Southern Philippines Tribal Transport Multi-purpose Cooperative or SPTTMC, started as a local tribal service in 2016 for Lumad Tribe and Indigenous People of Panay Island and Mindanao, eventually they see some opportunity by applying the provision on Republic Act 8371 under Chapter 4, Section 13, “the right to pursue economic, social and cultural development”, under this provision they ventured and invested for their own independent economic activities thru transportation and several livelihood programs, part of this program is to ensure government support and acknowledge their independent economic activities, they filed a lot of cases, some are still on going and some are already closed or dropped. But because of unclear Guidelines of RA 8371, some government agency specially the Transportation Agencies, LTFRB and LTO didn’t acknowledged the existence and the operation of SPTTMC, resulting in apprehension and stopping the buses on mid trip, until today some of the buses are still on L...

Photo By: Ron Camia Pamana Transport Services, Inc. is a bus company serving the Valenzuela-Baclaran corridor. Based in Barangay Malanday, the company was founded on April 5, 2000, by Angel C. Secerio, who used part of his money inherited by his parents to establish a business with aims to generate jobs, hence the name "Pamana". Pamana's two franchises were granted in 2003, one after another; one franchise authorized them to ply the Baclaran-Malanday via Ayala route with 16 units, while another authorized the Baclaran-Malanday via McArthur EDSA route with 6 units. The units Pamana operated during this period were non-aircondtioned Isuzu FTR buses supplied by Almazora, later complemented by fleets of Nissan Diesel Metrostar and Exfoh supplied by Santarosa.   Around 2010 (or possibly later), Pamana acquired assets of a competing company: that of Edgardo Mimay, operator of St. Martin of Tours Trailways (formerly known as Filipinas Trailways) based in Bocaue. Aside from...

Photo By: Rotsen Oliver Silver Star is a bus company serving the Metro Manila - Eastern Visayas route. Based in San Pedro, Laguna, the company is owned by the influential Mercado family, who possibly may be related to the Rizal family of Calamba. Silver Star's ancestral roots may be traced back to 1968, when spouses Artemio and Josefina Mercado established the 4-unit JAM Transit, Inc., with an authorized route between their hometown of Biñan in Laguna and Plaza Lawton in Manila. Since then, four units become hundreds as they establish more routes and organized more companies: JAM Liner, Laguna Transportation Company, AMA Trans, among a few. The Mercado family's first decline in business came in 1997, during the Asian financial crisis. In a dire situation, they were forced to let go of many of their assets, most particularly the JAM brand that carried the family initials. Crucial routes in Batangas, Quezon, and Bicol region (thru AMA Trans) were sold to Penta Realty in 2000,...

If you think of travelling to Baguio, Victory Liner immediately comes to mind. Photo: Julius Angeles / Team PBPA (September 2019)        The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) presented a wonderful Christmas gift for provincial travellers from around Luzon and Mindanao as they approved the resumption of more provincial bus routes, many of them to key cities in the Philippines, this past week.     Memorandum Circulars 2020-051 E, F, G, and H, released from December 18 to 22, adds around a dozen more routes to the ever-growing list of transport options available to those living in the provinces, especially in Northern and Central Luzon . Many of these routes were targeted to resume on December 24 , in time for Christmas celebrations.     As with all other resumed provincial routes, all buses to Metro Manila will now terminate at designated common terminals , and all operators still need to secure their buses' QR codes whi...

  V ictory Liner is set to return to Cauayan and Apalit, with the other routes hopefully to open again soon. Photo: Teddy Kwon / Team PBPA (April 2018)     In time for the Christmas season, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)  released back-to-back memorandum circulars (MC) allowing the resumption of more regular and point-to-point provincial bus services from Metro Manila starting this month. LTFRB PRESS RELEASE 17 December 2020 LTFRB: 269 PROVINCIAL P2P PUBS, MAAARI NANG BUMIYAHE SA 10 RUTANG BUBUKSAN NG... Posted by Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board - LTFRB on  Wednesday, December 16, 2020     MCs 2020-051D and 2020-082 outlines the routes allowed to resume as local government units slowly open up their borders to travellers from outside their areas. In line with updated government policy, all regular buses have to terminate at designated common terminals at the outskirts of Metro Manila, where c...