I recently traveled back to my mom's province in Southern Leyte and like before I took the bus. In the past I had only ridden on DLTB buses and greatly appreciated their ample legroom and short travel times. Their buses are kept in good condition and even have wifi on-board.
Just so I have a basis for comparison, I have also ridden the other buses that ply the area and here are my general thoughts:
DLTB - Best overall. Good aircon, ample legroom, decent videos and music, and short travel times. Most of their buses have wifi on-board. A bit pricey though and their booking strategy leaves you unable to get the seat that you want especially on the Manila-bound buses. Rest stops are well-placed and drivers actually accommodate passenger requests for a quick toilet stop.
CUL Transport - 2nd choice. Aircon is so-so, Tagalog movies are showing, and there is no wifi on-board. Rest stops are okay and its actually possible to get a discount on your fare if you know the bus driver! Its also possible to get the best seat on the bus if you reserve early or personally know the driver. Their travel times are long because their routes are very long!
Pintados - 3rd choice. This is a new player on the block and is actually operated under Ultrabus. All of their buses are new and legroom is quite good. You can also get a good seat if you reserve early and the fare is actually P100 cheaper than DLTB and CUL transport. The catch? No wifi, bus transfers (when they consolidate passengers), and and super long travel times as they pick up passengers in places that most other buses would avoid going into.
Ultrabus - 3rd choice. Ultrabus is not new to Leyte island. And neither are their buses which have so-so aircon. They show videos on-board and some buses actually have wifi. You can get a good seat if you make an early reservation but be warned that some of their newer buses are actually short and have very little leg room. They also practice bus transfers due to passenger consolidation and are not really known for short travel times.
Philtranco - one of the oldest players on the island is also one of the most expensive. Their buses actually have good legroom and have short travel times as they make use of the fastest ferry services they can find when they cross islands. The last time I got to ride on a Philtranco bus was way back in the 90's and until now I'm still skeptical about riding one again.
WEGA - Avoid. While they have new buses in their fleet, all of them are short and have very little legroom! Their travel times are also long as their routes are absurdly long as well. Movies and music are okay but there is no wifi on-board. Despite having the largest monitor screens, this is just not enough to make me take another ride in their buses.
Other buses that ply Leyte are Eaglestar, Silverstar, and PP Bus. But I have no plans of taking a ride in their buses as they have some of the oldest buses as well as non-aircon buses.
What about bus stops? What can I say about them? For starters, they sell food at ridiculous prices! Their serving sizes are small and their prices are high! Add to that, you have to pay P5 to urinate and P10 to defecate! WTF?! They could at least provide toilet passes to customers who buy their overpriced food! Its no wonder that bus travelers would rather make sure to bring food and water with them than be victims of highway robbery!
Its little surprise though that bus drivers and conductors get to eat for free as the passengers they bring are supposed to subsidize their meals! Its no wonder this country is going to the dogs!
Now despite all this why am I still patronizing bus travel? Because traveling by plane is more costly (but faster), and travel by boat to Leyte is just too difficult as you have to go by Cebu to get to Leyte.
I wonder when all of this would be sorted out..
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