THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) has awarded a multibillion-peso contract to Chinese firms to build a state-of-the-art bus system in Davao City, marking a major step towards modernizing public transportation in Mindanao.
The DOTr awarded contract packages 1, 2 and 3 to China International Water and Electrical Corp. (CWE), while contract package 4 was given to the Joint Venture of China Wu Yi Co. Ltd. – Fujian Construction Engineering Group Co. Ltd. – Vicente T. Lao Construction for the Public Transport Modernization Program (DPTMP) in Davao City.
The four DPTMP contract packages include the design and construction of the Calinan Depot, Buhangin Depot, and Driving School; design and construction of the Toril Depot, Toril Intermodal Terminal, Bunawan Terminal, and Calinan Terminal; civil works along bus routes, including bus stops, bus lanes and other pedestrian improvement works; and design and build contract for Sasa and Sto. Niño Depot.
Worth P73.4 billion, the Davao Bus will likewise complement the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP), using modern buses compliant with PUVMP standards. The DPTMP will also utilize 386 electric buses, 531 regular and 188 mini-buses.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista signed four civil works contracts for the construction of depots, terminals, bus stops, bus lanes, pedestrian lanes, and a driving school under the DPTMP.
“We begin today the metamorphosis of public transport in the whole of Mindanao starting here in Davao City,” Bautista said.
Bautista said the agency was targeting the partial operations of the DPTMP by the fourth quarter of 2025. The Davao Bus Project will “serve as benchmark for other urban road projects that aim to radically transform public transport,” he said.
Tagged by President Marcos as a “game changing project,” the DPTMP will move commuters efficiently and spur economic growth in Davao City and its adjacent areas.
The high-quality bus-based transportation system will have a core service lane connecting major commercial centers, nine feeder routes, eight routes to inner urban areas, and links between outer rural areas and terminals in Davao City, Panabo City, and Davao del Norte.
Inspired by the EDSA Busway, the DPTMP is a similar bus rapid transit system separated from normal road traffic in most of its stretch by concrete barriers on the innermost lane.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is funding the 672-kilometer DPTMP project that will create a network of efficient PUV operations across Metro Davao and nearby communities.