Why I hate the local buses in the Bicol Region.

I’ve been riding buses in the Bicol Region ever since I was a child and I have to say that how they operate is just getting worst each passing year. There are several kinds of provincial buses in the Bicol Region. You have the airconditioned and non-airconditioned buses plying the Manila to Bicol route, the airconditioned buses plying the Naga City to Legazpi City route and the ordinary buses or non-airconditioned buses connecting the different provinces in Bicol. What I hate most is riding the non-airconditioned buses plying the Naga City to Legazpi City route.

Naga-Lagonoy bound buses

During my elementary and high school years, our family would go to Naga City once in a while para mamasyal at pumunta sa mga pinsan namin and travelling by ordinary bus would take about 1 hour of travel. It was fast then to travel to Naga from our house in Iriga City, which is about more or less 40 kilometers  of travel. During the late 80’s and the 90’s there were only few bus companies operating that route. With too little competition, hindi gaanong naguunahan na makakuha ng pasahero ang mga bus.

When I was in college, I also ride the ordinary bus very often since every week I have to go home to Iriga City but during my college years, nauso na din ang mga passenger van so I also have that option to ride a van. I usually don’t ride a van back then because it takes a while for a van to be in its full seating capacity since the van leaves the terminal only if it is on its full capacity. Another reason I don’t ride the van during my college years is that it is a little bit pricey for a student. I think it was 10 or 20 pesos much expensive than the fare in the ordinary bus. The ordinary bus travel time back in my college years was about an hour sometimes less than an hour or an hour and few minutes more. I also have the option to ride an airconditioned bus bound for Legazpi but it is out of way going to our house since all airconditioned bus plying the Naga-Legazpi route always use the diversion road and it doesn’t pass by Iriga City.

Naga-Legazpi bound buses

After college, I stayed in Manila for more than 5 years and then I decided to go back to Bicol for good since I am now working online. I am now more disappointed than ever when riding a bus kasi lalo na silang lumala to the point na maiinis ka na sa kabagalan ng patakbo nila at sobrang masasayang ang oras mo kung sasakay ka ng ordinary bus plying the Naga-Legazpi route.

Naga City to Legazpi City is, I think, less than 100 kilometers in distance and if you’ll travel by private car, it would only take you 1.5 to 2 hours of travel. If you’ll be travelling by passenger van, it would take you about 2 to 2.5 hours of travel. And if you’ll be travelling by airconditioned bus, it would take you 2.5 to 3.5 hours of travel. But if you’ll be travelling by the non-airconditioned/ordinary bus, it would take you a lifetime and eons maybe!! Hehehe! No, kidding aside, travelling to Legazpi City from Naga City via ordinary/non-airconditioned bus would take you about 3.5 to 5 hours of travel. Just imagine the time you will be wasting by riding these kinds of buses. So if you’re in a hurry and you don’t want to waste your precious time, NEVER EVER EVER EVER RIDE THE ORDINARY BUSES OR EVEN THE AIRCONDITIONED BUSES in Bicol, specifically those buses plying the Naga City to Legazpi City.

Iriga City Bus Terminal

Naga City Bus Terminal

Naga City Central Bus Terminal

I still ride the ordinary bus today because the people living in Iriga only have 2 options. It’s either to ride a van or the ordinary bus. I am not really a passenger van fanatic since most of the time, passengers were cramped inside the van. Medjo naiipit kasi ang tuhod ko sa van kasi medjo matangkad ako. So what I usually do is to ride an ordinary bus to the next town, and then from Baao town, I’ll ride again an airconditioned bus which is a BIT faster compared to the ordinary bus. If I ride an ordinary bus to Naga City from Iriga, it would take me 1.5 hours to 2 hours of travel. By transferring to an airconditioned bus in the neighboring town of Iriga, which is Baao town, I cut my travel time to just 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, therefore I don’t have to waste extra 15 or 30 minutes. Wala kasing aircon bus na dumadaan sa Iriga kasi sa diversion road dumadaan lahat ng aircon bus.

In Metro Manila, naguunahan at nagkakarera ang mga bus para makakuha ng pasahero but in Bicol, it is the opposite. Binabagalan nila ang patakbo nila para makakuha daw ng mas maraming pasahero. The word “bagal” here is equivalent to a travelling speed of 10 to 30 kilometers per hour. Kasing bagal yan ng tricycle at minsan mas mabilis pa ang bicycle. Yung Iriga City to Baao town nga na 7 to 8 kilometers lang ang layo ay inaabot na ng 20 minutes na travel. These buses don’t care much about their passengers. They are more concerned about the income na kikitain nila at wala silang pakiaalam kung nagrereklamo na ang mga pasahero or ma-late sa office ang mga pasahero nila. They just don’t care. And once na nagreklamo ka sa driver or sa bus conductor, sasabihin pa nila sayo na kung gusto mo daw ng mabilis na byahe, bumili ka na lang daw ng sarili mong sasakyan or sumakay ka na lang ng van or sisisihin ka pa nila na alam mo naman daw na mabagal ang bus bakit daw sumakay ka pa sa kanila.

provincial buses in Bicol

Another reason it takes them longer time to reach their destination is the longer waiting time in bus stops. The Iriga City to Naga City route will pass by 3 towns and there are about 4 bus stops, and that doesn’t include the stops being made to pick up every passenger na nakikita nila sa kalsada and yung mga stops every time na may bumababa na pasahero. In every bus stop, the bus waits for about 5 to 15 minutes, and usually ang nangyayari ay hihintayin muna nila na dumating yung isa pang bus na sumusunod sa kanila bago sila umalis sa bus stop and it really doesn’t matter kahit 10 to 15 minutes pa ang layo ng next bus na sumusunod sa kanila. By computing 4 bus stops multiplied by an average of 10 minutes, that means 40 minutes na agad ang nasayang mo sa loob ng bus.

Marami pang mga bad practices ang mga bus companies sa Bicol and I’ve been to some provinces na din sa Pilipinas at masasabi ko na talagang nakakainis din ang service na ibinibigay ng mga bus companies dito sa Bicol lalong lalo na ang mga ordinary/non-airconditioned buses. Okay lang sumakay sa ordinary bus kung short distance lang ang pupuntahan nyo, mga 5 kilometers or less but if you’re travelling for a long distance, NEVER EVER EVER RIDE the local provincial bus kung ayaw nyo masayang ang oras nyo. Better ride a passenger van na lang or kausapin nyo na lang ang mga Manila-bound buses na kung pwede pasakayin kayo para mas mabilis ang byahe nyo.