It’s all systems go for this city’s bus modernization project to be fully operational in 2025.

This came after the formal signing of the USD$1 billion loan agreement between the national government led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project (DPTMP) on July 1.

Davao City administrator Tristan Dwight Domingo said Wednesday the loan agreement signaled the start of the two-year implementation of the Davao bus project.

“At this point, we hope to meet the actual targets we have for the implementation. I think by the end of 2024, hopefully, we can see some of the buses already running in the city,” Domingo said in the Madayaw Dabaw segment of the city government here.

With the project, an extensive network of 29 routes covering 672 km. of roads, will seamlessly connect key areas within Davao City up to Panabo City in Davao del Norte.

Some 1,105 buses will be plying along the route, nearly 400 of which will be electric-articulated buses, and the rest complying with Euro V standards for diesel-powered buses.

The modern buses will be on low floors for easy boarding and alighting, and equipped with closed-circuit television cameras, wheelchair bays, and designated seats for pregnant women with children, and the elderly.

The “bus only” lanes, queue jump, and intelligent transportation system or ITS will be in place to ensure efficient bus operations over 1,000 bus stops will be constructed.

Along with this, five depots, three terminals, a driver training facility, pedestrian crossings, and sidewalk improvements, will be established for a well-coordinated and pedestrian-friendly transportation system.

“The city has come a long way in pushing for the bus modernization project. After the loan signing, we are now heading towards project implementation,” Domingo said.

The conceptualization of the bus project started under the leadership of then-mayor and former President Rodrigo Duterte after the ADB initiated studies that led to the vision for an integrated and sustainable urban transport system in the city.

In 2018, the DPTMP, then known as the High Priority Bus System Project, was conceptualized and then officially adopted by the then-mayor and now Vice President Sara Z. Duterte for implementation.

In July last year, the new city administration pushed for the funding of the bus project. (PNA)