Davao Metro Shuttle

Davao Metro Shuttle Corporation (DMS), also known as Davao Metro Shuttle Bus Company, Inc., is a large bus company in Mindanao, Philippines. It operates bus transport services in and outside Davao Region with its headquarters, main garage and offices in Davao City.[4] Its main terminals are located in Davao City and Tagum.[5]

Davao Metro Shuttle
A Davao Metro Shuttle's Yutong buses plying Davao-Kidapawan route in Makilala, North Cotabato province
Founded1995 (1995)
Commenced operation1996 (Bus)
HeadquartersEcoland Drive, Matina, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines
Service areaMindanao & Visayas
Service typeCity & Provincial Operation
AllianceGo-Mindanao Tour Bus (subsidiary)
Annil Transport (subsidiary)
Destinations
Fleet300 units in total
180 units in Davao Region and Soccsksargen[1][2]
60 units in Caraga
30 units in Eastern Visayas
30 units in Go-Mindanao Tour Bus subsidiary[3]
Daily ridership25,000+[1][2]
OperatorDavao Metro Shuttle Corporation
PresidentDe Carlo L. Uy
Websitehttp://davaometroshuttle.com

History

Davao Metro Shuttle started as a local taxi service in 1995 serving the city of Davao in what has been a partnership between businessmen Reynaldo T. Uy (who later went on to be mayor of Tagum) and Reynaldo Alba. When it procured its first air-conditioned bus units in 1996, its first service was the Davao-Digos route. In 1998 the company started servicing the Davao-Tagum route after purchasing 20 non-aircon bus units. In 1998 their range of service once again expanded when they started servicing the Davao-Kidapawan route using Daewoo buses.

As time went on, and as the company went cycles of financial setbacks and recovery, its service routes expanded greatly on time to include Bansalan, Malita, Monkayo, Compostela, New Bataan, & Laak.

The Davao Metro shuttle is set to launch the Go-Mindanao Tour Bus program in 2017, an initiative supported by the Department of Tourism. They are targeting to launch the route by March next year which would initially travel from the city to Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro and Butuan.[1][2][5][6]

On 2 August 2017 the company started servicing the Davao-Butuan-Nasipit route for the first time using Guilin Daewoo buses. Shortly thereafter the company's Go-Mindanao Tour Bus program officially commenced operation as a few of its units, specifically high-deck buses procured from Zhengzhou Yutong Bus covered with stickers of the Go-Mindanao Tour Bus brand, started plying the Davao-Butuan and Davao-New Bataan routes.

On 8 November 2018 the company, under its Go-Mindanao Tour Bus subsidiary brand, started plying the Butuan-Bislig route using then newly acquired Golden Dragon luxury buses, marking the first instance that, although the company bears the namesake of the city and the situate region it was mainly serving and based from, the company served completely outside its main areas of operation.

Fleet

The first bus units of Davao Metro Shuttle came from Nissan Diesel and Daewoo Bus. Later, they also have units from Hino. In 2008 they purchased units from Xiamen Golden Dragon Bus, the first in Mindanao, and in 2010 they purchased units from Zhengzhou Yutong Bus.

To date, the fleet of Davao Metro Shuttle is composed of buses and minibuses acquired from Yutong, Golden Dragon, Hino, Daewoo, Nissan Diesel, Hyundai and Volvo. The company was also the first in the Philippines to field buses from THACO acquired in year 2020.[7]

Currently, the company is the largest indigenous bus company in Mindanao, possessing more than 200 bus units including from its Go-Mindanao subsidiary.

  • Buses of Davao Metro Shuttle in Davao City
  • Guilin Daewoo GD6127HKC1
  • Yutong ZK6119HA Hamster
  • Golden Dragon XML6127 Marcopolo Series 2
  • Hyundai County minibus
  • Yutong ZK6729D T7 minibus
  • Volvo B8RLE city bus, under Annil Transport subsidiary brand

Destinations

Despite its name, Davao Metro Shuttle not only serves the Metro Davao area. The company also operates routes in other parts of Mindanao and the Visayas.

Davao Region
A Davao Metro Shuttle—Go Mindanao Tour Bus unit in Davao City.

Davao Region is the main and home operational area of Davao Metro Shuttle, with the overland transport terminals of the cities of Davao and Tagum serving as its main hubs. Also, the Davao-Tagum express route had its main hub and terminal at Ayala Abreeza Mall in J.P. Laurel St., Davao City.

Living up to its name, Davao Metro Shuttle also offers city shuttle routes within Davao City as part of the city's Peak-Hour Augmentation Bus Service program.[8] Augmenting it is its acquisition of the local city liner Annil Transport in September 2019, therefore expanding its shuttle service area within the city.[9]

Soccsksargen Region

Caraga Region
A Davao Metro Shuttle—Go Mindanao Tour Bus unit plying Butuan-Mangagoy route taxied at Butuan Integrated Terminal.

Destinations within Caraga region are mostly served by Davao Metro Shuttle's tourist line subsidiary, Go-Mindanao Tour Bus.

Eastern Visayas

The entrance of Davao Metro Shuttle in Leyte on 5 July 2019 marked the first time the company ventured outside its main areas of operation in Mindanao and the second time the company operated outside its home operational area at Davao Region.

See also

References
  1. Ace June Rell S. Perez (6 October 2016). "Leading to success". Sun.Star Davao. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  2. Ace June Rell S. Perez (2 October 2016). "Mindanao Tour Bus hits road in 2017". Sun.Star Davao. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  3. Department of Foreign Affairs. "NEW TRANSPORT COMPANY AIMS TO PROMOTE TOURISM IN MINDANAO". Department of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  4. Edwin Fernandez (21 January 2020). "Bus firm to start servicing Davao-Arakan route soon". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  5. Kristianne Fusilero (3 October 2016). "Metro Shuttle expands service to tour local and foreign visitors". Mindanao Times. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  6. Carmencita A. Carillo (5 October 2016). "Davao firm to invest P100M for tourist buses". BusinessWorld. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  7. "Davao Metro Shuttle to be the first THACO operator in PH". Transport.PH. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  8. Regina Mae Ronquillo (August 4, 2019). "12 more modern buses to ply underserved areas in the city". Mindanao Times. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  9. DXDC 621 Davao (February 17, 2020). "Modern Calinan-Davao bus units gi-deploy". Radio Mindanao Network. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
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