Passengers crowd bus terminals as Christmas exodus starts to peak

Province-bound Filipinos on Saturday crowded bus terminals in Metro Manila as this year's Christmas exodus began to peak.

At the Araneta Bus Terminal in Quezon City, many queued to get trips to Visayas and Mindanao, GMA News' Tricia Zafra reported on GMA News TV's "Balitanghali Weekend."

Some people, like Bernardita Acacio who wanted to get a ride to Aklan, had no reservations but remained hopeful they could get a ride as chance passengers.

Another said he had been waiting for six hours for someone to sell him a ticket.

For their part, dispatchers reminded passengers to limit the baggage they are bringing.

At least one bus firm charged P100 in insurance and porter's fee for every piece of baggage worth P1,000, the report said.

Traffic along parts of EDSA in Cubao, where the bus terminal is located, was heavy on Saturday.

Similarly heavy traffic was noted at Quezon Avenue corner Araneta; Baclaran; and NAIA Imelda near the airport.

Some passengers questioned some bus firms' supposedly charging higher fares, but the bus firms said they were merely charging what was stipulated in their franchises.

They added they had charged lower fares during non-peak seasons to entice passengers.

The report also said there is a chance more people will still seek rides to the provinces, as many still have work on Monday and Tuesday.

It said those who crowded the bus terminals on Saturday included workers who have already gone on leave for the coming week. — Joel Locsin/LBG, GMA News