Preview of the booking page of Topline Travel App that lets passengers book their bus tickets in Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) online. | CDN Digital Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Passengers bound for Cebu’s towns and cities in the south can book their bus tickets online before hitting the terminal.
The Capitol partnered with private firm Topline in rolling out the Topline Travel App that allows passengers to buy their tickets on their smartphones.
The app went online and had been operational for two months already, said Carmen Quijano, manager of the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT).
“Yes, passengers can now book their bus tickets online,” said Quijano in Cebuano.
Topline is also the operator of the automated-ticketing system being implemented in CSBT.
On top of simply buying tickets for their seats, the app also lets passengers buy multiple tickets, and view available buses and routes on a certain day.
According to Quijano, bus operators in CSBT welcomed the launching of the app, adding that the proceeds Topline earned from online transactions will be turned over to the bus companies themselves.
“So far, we have not received any complaints from operators,” she added.
However, the CSBT manager said most passengers still prefer buying their tickets at the terminal.
“We understand it will take some time for them to learn and get accustomed to the app but we’re hoping and we’re urging them to book their tickets in advance so they can just board the bus immediately,” Quijano explained.
Quijano said enabling passengers to book their tickets online will help them decongest waiting line, especially during peak days.
Passengers who book their tickets will no longer have to queue at the ticketing counter. Instead, they can just present their digitally generated ticket to board the bus.
Quijano also said Topline and the bus operators have also implemented measures to detect possible, counterfeit tickets.
“They have a process in dealing with them. They can monitor the transactions made on the app, and check if the tickets the passengers presented are legitimate,” she added.
CSBT is the largest public bus terminal here in Cebu.
/bmjo
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