It has been a while since we last rode a bus and for provincial trips, we usually get buses from Victory Liners but this time, Victory Liner was fully booked so we had to search for an alternative. Luckily, we found JoyBus! It’s a little smaller than the deluxe bus of Victory Liner but everything else is the same. There is a stewardess on board who explained about the bus, route, time of travel and the use of the comfort room inside the bus.
Speaking of comfort rooms, better that you choose seats away from the comfort room because it smells a little. It’s tolerable but definitely not for people with very sensitive noses like mine. I was lucky enough to find seats right at the back of the driver.
It was a reserved seat and already paid. But when we got to Cubao station, somebody else was seating in our assigned seats. We asked politely about the seats since it was assigned to us and we chose those seats specifically because we didn’t want to be near the comfort room. The couple wouldn’t budge. That’s when the stewardess checked our tickets and asked the couple to move to another location. I think they were a little pissed off because they were already seating comfortably but not to be a b*tch about it, we thought it’s still better to follow the seating arrangement because that’s whats the reservation is for. Anyway, we got our seats back so everything went smoothly after that. We normally didn’t want any confrontation but I just didn’t want to start a long vacation with a horrific experience having to seat near the comfort room so I made sure that there won’t be any kinks in our plans for that weekend.
The cost of the bus ride was worth it. Genesis doesn’t have an online booking so we booked via a third party site, Pinoy Travel. This saves us time and energy of having to go to the terminal itself to make a “reservation” which is equivalent to buying the actual tickets ahead of time. On the day of the travel, just go to the terminal office early to claim tickets and to select your seats (selection of seats is free of charge, first come first served basis).
Don’t expect food stalls nearby like Victory Liner Terminals because at the Cubao Station, all they have is this one small canteen. We ate there (Pinoy lutong bahay), and selection is but a few but if you are really hungry and do not want to walk far nor go over the footbridge, it’s a safe choice.
The trip was smooth and we fell asleep right away. When we woke up we’re already in Baguio. 🙂
TIPS:
- buy online
- buy early to avoid being turned down because buses are fully booked
- get seats away from the comfort room
- never hesitate to contact the bus stewardess for assistance
- keep a cool head when talking to other people
- make sure the seats aren’t reserved to avoid being asked to change seats
TERMINALS:
* Note: Data from http://www.genesistransport.com.ph