The Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) recorded a significant rise in passengers as the country entered Holy Week, with more travelers choosing buses over private vehicles amid rising fuel costs, as reported by RH Edniel Parrosa.

The landport terminal recorded 178,305 passengers on Palm Sunday, surpassing last year’s figure of 165,292 for the same period, according to PITX spokesperson Jason Salvador.

Evidently, with the surge of commuters, many of them have expressed a preference for using public transport instead of using their own cars. Many of them were carrying large baggage and cited high gasoline prices as a reason for traveling through PITX to their provinces.

Since March 22, the terminal has logged over 1.4 million passengers, even before the start of the long weekend, traditionally a time for vacations, reunions, and Holy Week observances. Early Monday morning, foot traffic was not yet heavy, with about 29,000 passengers moving through the terminal.

However, Salvador noted that lines at ticket counters were long on Sunday. Several trips to Bicol were already fully booked through Black Saturday, with some schedules to northern Luzon, Mindoro, Visayas, and Mindanao also fully booked until April 2, coinciding with the expected exodus on Maundy Thursday.

Despite some full schedules, PITX officials clarified that walk-in passengers could still purchase tickets, as no route has reached 100% capacity yet.

The PITX terminal, considered one of the largest land port facilities in Paranaque, is also preparing for increased passenger volume in the coming days.