The idea of connecting the two campuses of the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon City and Los Baños, Laguna is nothing new.
Back in the 1990's Tritran (later absorbed by JAM Liner) launched a direct bus service between the two campuses, but the service did not last long.
Now, after more than two decades, the university has responded to the changing times and needs of its students and faculty as it relaunched its direct bus services between the two campuses.
Last August 19, Del Monte Land Transport Bus Co. (DLTBCo.), in partnership with UP, started it dry run of bus trips between UP Diliman and UP Los Baños.
DLTBCo. currently offers two round trips between the campuses – one in the morning and in the afternoon – while the frequency and schedule of the trips will be determined by the results of the dry run conducted from August 19 to 23.
Total fare is P165 for regular passengers, and P132 for students, senior citizens and PWDs. According to travel blogger Kara Santos, the new bus route is open to the riding public, not just for students and employees of UP.
The relaunch was made after an online survey conducted by the Community Affairs Office of UP Los Baños in which 2,888 persons responded, majority of which favored such a direct service.
Until August 19, the only direct trip between the UP Los Baños campus and Metro Manila was DLTBCo.'s own daily trip to and from its terminal at LRT Buendia, Pasay City, which started in 2022 as pandemic restrictions were gradually eased.
Long history
The revival of the direct bus service between the two UP campuses is also a landmark moment for DLTBCo., which had also served as a vital link between Laguna province and Metro Manila for decades.
The bus company, which was once named the Batangas-Laguna-Tayabas Bus Co. (BLTBCo.) offered direct bus trips to various towns in Laguna province such as Santa Cruz and San Pablo.
Labor disputes and economic hardships, however, took their toll on BLTBCo., which stopped operations in 2004. It was later revived in 2009 after it was bought by bus manufacturer Del Monte Motor Works (DMMW), after which it was rebranded as DLTBCo.
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