Most of us consider visiting our relatives in the provinces during the holy week. Since not everyone has cars to ride, we resort to public transportation. Long queues, bulky luggage, and frustrated faces are just some of the common sights to see in a bus terminal.
PinoyTravel, the country’s first online bus booking system, sought to alleviate the stress of long bus queues. With PinoyTravel, provincial bus commuters no longer have to wake up early just to secure tickets. Simply by logging on to www.pinoytravel.com.ph, or by using the PinoyTravel Android App, commuters can now book tickets, similar to airlines.
In partnership with several bus companies like DLTBCo. and Cherry Bus, PinoyTravel offers online booking of bus seats to Manila to Albay, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, and Sorsogon, as well as the route between Puerto Princesa and El Nido in Palawan.
Au Soriano, CEO of PinoyTravel, used to share the common frustration, “People still need to line up in bus terminals, and in areas where there are no terminals, commuters would have to wait by the road side and flag oncoming buses as chance passengers.” Since then, Soriano, alongside colleague Maui Millan, pitched the idea to IdeaSpace, the largest privately-backed technology incubator in the Philippines, with wireless services leader Smart Communications, Inc. as one of its backers.
To make use of the service, commuters need to search for their desired trip destinations (limited to Baguio, Tugueraro, Dagupan, or Manaoag), choose how many tickets you want to book, select the date of the trip (must be three days from the day you booked), choose your mode of payment from either PayPal or DragonPay, and wait for a confirmation code via e-mail and SMS.
“We’re planning to add several more routes in the future by partnering with other bus lines. This way, Filipinos can easily and conveniently enjoy the many natural wonders our country has to offer,” Soriano concluded.
For more information, visit www.pinoytravel.com.ph, or simply follow @pinoytravelPH on Twitter or like PinoyTravel on Facebook to get the latest updates about new routes and promotions.