My P2P Bus Ride from Clark to Quezon City
If the previous topic (Tacloban to Clark direct flight on Air Asia) was a first for me, here is another first: My Point-to-Point (P2P) Bus Ride from Clark International Airport to Trinoma Mall at North EDSA in Quezon City. I did this just to try how it really is :)
How did I prepare for this trip? Yes, nag-prepare talaga!
Well, some bit of analysis had to be summoned of my lowly brain. First, did I have time? The answer was 'siguro naman'! With my flight from Tacloban expected to arrive Clark at 1010H and my event at UP Diliman scheduled to start at 1730H, that would have been a very unfortunate miracle if I still didn't make it on time, right? Plenty of time to spare, so I dared! Second, I have read and reread the many web stories and blogs that describe this kind of bus service. Plus, I had my driver on standby to pick me anywhere on the entire NLEX route - if ever something untoward happened. First time eh, hehe.
Not that this was a first time for me to travel between Clark and QC or vice-versa. I have done so countless times since the 1990s. I have taken buses to Baguio, Ilocos, Abra, Cagayan Isabela, Viscaya, Ecija etc. Many of them pass by the Dau Terminal in Mabalacat (many folks think Dau is in Angeles), which is a jeep ride away to Clark. There was even a time I just walked from the Clark Gate to Dau! A number of times I went to visit Clark itself, I also rode buses. I have even gone to San Fernando (Pampanga via a bus) and found my way to Clark via by commuter jeep! Yes yes, years ago, twice I arrived at Clark Airport from HKG and SIN, then walked out to where the jeeps pass by going towards what they call the "gate", before hopping on another jeep towards Dau!
But this P2P Bus ride attempt gave me a bit of excitement (and paranoia hehe) because - 1) I had an important event to catch at UP, and; 2) I was apprehensive, since historically in this country, anywhere/anything that involves arriving/departing air passengers, crimes petty or else, always abound. OA, 'no?! Well, it was my first time hehe. Besides, for me, riding on a public bus on the NLEX... I don't know... di ba? Pag na-holdup ang bus (simba ko), who would notice, eh every other vehicle would just be zooming right by your bus, di ba?!
Anyway... here we go (or here I went):
As memorized from blogs and online articles, after emerging at the arrival area of Clark airport, I walked to the right and followed the covered sidewalk towards the parked buses that I could already see. Oh ha?! Easy! Actually, it is only a few steps away!
There even are signs along this narrow covered sidewalk!
I boarded and saw that there were only 3 old ladies seated. I checked the time and it was already 0943H. Hmm, from what I remember of the schedules, I was about 13mins late for the previous departure, therefore 47mins early for the next. My crazy mind started debating upon its crazy self... "should I sit it out with these 3 oldies and wait for the 1030H departure? or should I go to the smoking area somewhere across the road from where this bus was idly waiting?". Easy decision, the smoking option prevailed hahaha!
There was some hesitation though... If I alight from this bus just like that, without leaving anything on my chosen seat (I only had my weekend backpack), all seats may have already been taken when I come back, or my choiciest window seat may not already be available. But if I leave my backpack, that smoking area is actually a bit far, the way there circles around to the parking area - paano kung nakawan ang bag ko or in fact nakawin ang kakarampot kong backpack?! Oh ha?! Well, nanaig pa rin ang sungay hahaha, so I still went out to smoke lugging my bag, even reasoned within my head that, if I come back to find there are no more desirable seats, I could always opt to take the 1130H trip. Gosh! Makayosi lang hehe!
That is my bus, starting to fill with passengers, as I watched it from the smoking area.
About 10mins or so of smoking and drinking coke is/was already too long for me. Plus, mainit sa labas haha! So, at 0954H, I caught myself returning to the bus. Hmm, the few folks that were outside the bus seemed to be on a final dash to get into this ride. And the driver was already comfortably positioned at his 'throne'. And the conductor seemed to be on a final discussion with one lady who looked like a dispatcher. It actually looked and felt like the bus was about to go. Wheh? Still, I took my grand time, went up the bus, it was just about half-full already, and I took a window seat on the right side.
All of a sudden we started moving. Duh?! And Yeah! This bus departed at exactly 0959H! All I could think about was "aba eh di departure kung departure, sige larga", all the best for me hahaha! Although, this time I was quick (or had the presence of mind, yehey di pa ako gurang) to snap a photo of their schedules displayed on a standee by the covered walkway. Ayan ang picture sa kanan. From Clark to Trinoma, 0930H 1030H or 1130H should have been the departures that I would have caught. Wheh, bakit umalis ang bus na ito (buti naman hehe) at 0959H?! Haruuuy, good I cut my smoking break! I really was not thinking this bus was just about to depart. It felt like the driver just waited for me hahaha!
So, as the bus sped along, I did some looking around and some thinking about this service, like little or big things about this bus and this trip, and many other related or unrelated things in this world. Eh, more than 2 hours kaya ang ride na ito! So, I had a lot of time to muni-muni... like:
Okay now, how about the trip and the traffic? I would say 'Good Enough' and I think I might even try this again! Everything I read on the web declares this trip should take from 2 to 3 hours. Mine took exactly 2 hrs and 36mins - that is from departure at Clark International Airport, to arrival at the lounge in Trinoma Mall. Pwede na! Because, I cannot recall having traveled from NAIA to QC that took less than 3 hours :) Then again, it was probably the time of day. Yet also, this bus still passes by SM Clark to pick-up passengers. But it was only a 3-minute wait. Ahh, many things have yet to be considered.
I have been reviewing my numbers, and I am inclined to believe, this is a better option if you are going to the QC area! My bias, I guess, is that there was nothing on this ride that made me bored or frustrated (other than when we entered Metro Manila at the Balintawak area)! Let's see:
- Clark to Trinoma is about 95kms (mahal ang gas if you asked to be fetched)
- via the P2P bus, it costs P280 - 2.5hrs (mid-morning to noontime)
- but the P2P bus kinda circled around Clark tumambay pa sa SM Clark
- this bus exits to NLEX far somewhere in Mabalacat
- if this was a private vehicle, I guess an hour to 1.5 is doable
Compare this to:
- NAIA 1 2 3 4 to Trinoma is only about 21++ kms
- via Taxi or Grab, it costs more than P300 - 2hrs to ewan (indeterminable)!
- via public bus, less than a hundred? but how many hours?
*if you ask to be fetched by your car from Clark, 95kms is expensive
*if you ask to be fetched by your car from NAIA, 2/3/4hrs is stressful
*if you took the P2P, traffic only starts at Balintawak-Munoz areas
So, which is better? Haha! Depends on our circumstances, right? The better part to always consider is "passenger safety comfort and convenience". That includes your state of mind or how you feel - whether the trip is expensive or cheap, breezing thru the NLEX or crawling along EDSA. Something like... "ok mahal nga pero happy naman ako", or "nakamura pero nabagot ako sa tagal ng biyahe", and so on...
As for me, this thing is worth considering, especially when I get to ride the return route (Trinoma to Clark) tomorrow.
Exciting!
How did I prepare for this trip? Yes, nag-prepare talaga!
Well, some bit of analysis had to be summoned of my lowly brain. First, did I have time? The answer was 'siguro naman'! With my flight from Tacloban expected to arrive Clark at 1010H and my event at UP Diliman scheduled to start at 1730H, that would have been a very unfortunate miracle if I still didn't make it on time, right? Plenty of time to spare, so I dared! Second, I have read and reread the many web stories and blogs that describe this kind of bus service. Plus, I had my driver on standby to pick me anywhere on the entire NLEX route - if ever something untoward happened. First time eh, hehe.
Not that this was a first time for me to travel between Clark and QC or vice-versa. I have done so countless times since the 1990s. I have taken buses to Baguio, Ilocos, Abra, Cagayan Isabela, Viscaya, Ecija etc. Many of them pass by the Dau Terminal in Mabalacat (many folks think Dau is in Angeles), which is a jeep ride away to Clark. There was even a time I just walked from the Clark Gate to Dau! A number of times I went to visit Clark itself, I also rode buses. I have even gone to San Fernando (Pampanga via a bus) and found my way to Clark via by commuter jeep! Yes yes, years ago, twice I arrived at Clark Airport from HKG and SIN, then walked out to where the jeeps pass by going towards what they call the "gate", before hopping on another jeep towards Dau!
But this P2P Bus ride attempt gave me a bit of excitement (and paranoia hehe) because - 1) I had an important event to catch at UP, and; 2) I was apprehensive, since historically in this country, anywhere/anything that involves arriving/departing air passengers, crimes petty or else, always abound. OA, 'no?! Well, it was my first time hehe. Besides, for me, riding on a public bus on the NLEX... I don't know... di ba? Pag na-holdup ang bus (simba ko), who would notice, eh every other vehicle would just be zooming right by your bus, di ba?!
Anyway... here we go (or here I went):
As memorized from blogs and online articles, after emerging at the arrival area of Clark airport, I walked to the right and followed the covered sidewalk towards the parked buses that I could already see. Oh ha?! Easy! Actually, it is only a few steps away!
There even are signs along this narrow covered sidewalk!
I boarded and saw that there were only 3 old ladies seated. I checked the time and it was already 0943H. Hmm, from what I remember of the schedules, I was about 13mins late for the previous departure, therefore 47mins early for the next. My crazy mind started debating upon its crazy self... "should I sit it out with these 3 oldies and wait for the 1030H departure? or should I go to the smoking area somewhere across the road from where this bus was idly waiting?". Easy decision, the smoking option prevailed hahaha!
There was some hesitation though... If I alight from this bus just like that, without leaving anything on my chosen seat (I only had my weekend backpack), all seats may have already been taken when I come back, or my choiciest window seat may not already be available. But if I leave my backpack, that smoking area is actually a bit far, the way there circles around to the parking area - paano kung nakawan ang bag ko or in fact nakawin ang kakarampot kong backpack?! Oh ha?! Well, nanaig pa rin ang sungay hahaha, so I still went out to smoke lugging my bag, even reasoned within my head that, if I come back to find there are no more desirable seats, I could always opt to take the 1130H trip. Gosh! Makayosi lang hehe!
That is my bus, starting to fill with passengers, as I watched it from the smoking area.
About 10mins or so of smoking and drinking coke is/was already too long for me. Plus, mainit sa labas haha! So, at 0954H, I caught myself returning to the bus. Hmm, the few folks that were outside the bus seemed to be on a final dash to get into this ride. And the driver was already comfortably positioned at his 'throne'. And the conductor seemed to be on a final discussion with one lady who looked like a dispatcher. It actually looked and felt like the bus was about to go. Wheh? Still, I took my grand time, went up the bus, it was just about half-full already, and I took a window seat on the right side.
So, as the bus sped along, I did some looking around and some thinking about this service, like little or big things about this bus and this trip, and many other related or unrelated things in this world. Eh, more than 2 hours kaya ang ride na ito! So, I had a lot of time to muni-muni... like:
- Everywhere in this country, strictly adhering to schedules are not really given serious attention by virtually everyone. We are not 'there' yet on this. The backward mentality of our culture called "Filipino Time", is still prevalent when we talk about schedules. Many believe, this is one of the reasons why we are not progressing as much as we want like our ASEAN neighbors, since we cannot be trusted in terms of being able to deliver/perform what we promise. Sabihin na natin, my bus left ahead of schedule. Sablay pa rin! Why? Because, some passengers from other flights or people who sent off their departing realtives may have hoped to ride the 1030H schedule. Pano na eh umalis kami at 31 minutes ahead. Or, baka naman yun 0830H schedule eh hindi talaga umalis until 0959H hahaha! Compare this to how buses arrive and go at/from every waiting shed in Singapore. Ang layo pa natin 'no?! Ah I just remembered, they even have digital displays sa mga waiting shed in Singapore that will tell you in how many minutes or seconds your bus will arrive! Tayo? Nganga! Anyway... I guess it is all about trust. When people trust that your service will be available at your promised time and place, then there will be constant patronage. Otherwise, they'll look for some other 'reliable' way as replacement to your erratic service.
- The bus is: "relatively good because it is relatively new"! Malinis in fairness. And, it was not too cold during my entire trip. Hmm, maybe because it was a noontime? hehe. Did you know? I do not have proof, but nowadays, many of the complaints I hear about air-conditioned buses in this country is that they're all sobrang lamig. Kakaiba ano?! At least, on this part, I can say, hindi na tayo nakakahiya sa mga turista! Pero naman, kung ikamamatay mo rin lang ang lamig na yan... hahaha wag na mag-aircon! But on this ride, I swear, it was just properly cool (not cold) - and all those vents above my head worked! Meaning I can close them if I wanted to. Bago nga kasi! But I wondered though, why is that "STOP" button positioned the other way around. Baliktad di ba?!
- Eto pa: like many others already plying many routes all over the country, this bus also had a 'working' (as in gumagana talaga) USB charging port in front of each passenger seat. Nice! Convenient! And the trays were clean, not broken, even with a slot each for drinks. And the seat pocket was generally clean made of a mesh that I could place my phone into! Magaling magaling! Sana lahat ng bus ganito. Ooops, sorry if all buses in this country are now like this, hindi na ako updated, 'di na ako maka-bus ngayon eh hehe. I am more on maka-train... nyetang MRT LRT yan, sardinas ride everytime 'no?!
- There were CCTV cameras in front and at the aft section of this bus. So, we were being 'taped', right? Nice. Even if 'after the fact', those cameras can help in identifying hopefully leading towards apprehension (catching) of criminals. Well, they also help deterring commission of crimes - natatakot ang kriminal gumawa ng kabulastugan, dahil sa camera! On the other hand, there is a group of paranoid people on earth (am not yet sure if I should be one of them) who claim that putting those cameras in public conveyances like this bus, can mean encroachment of personal freedoms which is a human right. Especially these days that there already are what they call 'face-identification' software, people behind those cameras would be able to identify who you are, and they purportedly can use that information for illegal or criminal acts! Kakatakot!
- The sound was good (bago nga kasi ang bus na ito!) and the TV up front is bigger than usual. Picture was clear, at least from the area where I was seated. But the movie being shown did not catch my attention hahaha! It is of course a choice of the conductor! I was anyway too busy looking at where we were passing, that I did not bother checking what movie that was. Basta, when I did pay attention to it for some brief moment, I just was not interested!
Okay now, how about the trip and the traffic? I would say 'Good Enough' and I think I might even try this again! Everything I read on the web declares this trip should take from 2 to 3 hours. Mine took exactly 2 hrs and 36mins - that is from departure at Clark International Airport, to arrival at the lounge in Trinoma Mall. Pwede na! Because, I cannot recall having traveled from NAIA to QC that took less than 3 hours :) Then again, it was probably the time of day. Yet also, this bus still passes by SM Clark to pick-up passengers. But it was only a 3-minute wait. Ahh, many things have yet to be considered.
I have been reviewing my numbers, and I am inclined to believe, this is a better option if you are going to the QC area! My bias, I guess, is that there was nothing on this ride that made me bored or frustrated (other than when we entered Metro Manila at the Balintawak area)! Let's see:
- Clark to Trinoma is about 95kms (mahal ang gas if you asked to be fetched)
- via the P2P bus, it costs P280 - 2.5hrs (mid-morning to noontime)
- but the P2P bus kinda circled around Clark tumambay pa sa SM Clark
- this bus exits to NLEX far somewhere in Mabalacat
- if this was a private vehicle, I guess an hour to 1.5 is doable
Compare this to:
- NAIA 1 2 3 4 to Trinoma is only about 21++ kms
- via Taxi or Grab, it costs more than P300 - 2hrs to ewan (indeterminable)!
- via public bus, less than a hundred? but how many hours?
*if you ask to be fetched by your car from Clark, 95kms is expensive
*if you ask to be fetched by your car from NAIA, 2/3/4hrs is stressful
*if you took the P2P, traffic only starts at Balintawak-Munoz areas
So, which is better? Haha! Depends on our circumstances, right? The better part to always consider is "passenger safety comfort and convenience". That includes your state of mind or how you feel - whether the trip is expensive or cheap, breezing thru the NLEX or crawling along EDSA. Something like... "ok mahal nga pero happy naman ako", or "nakamura pero nabagot ako sa tagal ng biyahe", and so on...
As for me, this thing is worth considering, especially when I get to ride the return route (Trinoma to Clark) tomorrow.
Exciting!
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