We recently went to Rene's hometown in San Carlos City, Pangasinan and based from past commute experiences, we noticed that the Fermina's Express bus lines are consistently fast.
Now I actually had concluded this a long time ago when I was still studying in UP. I had chanced by one of their buses heading to Fairview from Ortigas, and I got to Philcoa in around 15 mins!
What I noticed is that they consistently do the ff things:
1. They only stop when a passenger is either going off or about to ride the bus.
2. They drive fast to the point of swerving most of time (not good for the faint of heart).
3. The conductor asks in advance if someone is going off at a certain stop. And if none, they either use the flyover/underpass or pass by the service road without stopping unless a commuter will ride.
4. For provincial trips, their stopover is usually shorter than other bus lines.
So whenever I am about to go off at Ortigas from the jeep I was riding, I would usually already look ahead if a FermEx bus is approaching or has already stopped by. Because by then I can try to catch the eye of the conductor who usually glances at the back in case someone is still trying to get a ride. It's funny how I really wanted to catch this bus every morning because I was always running late. There was even a point I literally ran after it. And almost always when I do catch this bus, I end up arriving way ahead of time.
Another nice thing about their service is that the seats are sized just right. What I mean is the 3-seater can actually seat 3 people and not 2 or 2 and a half of an ass. Plus their buses look well-maintained, without much graffiti on the seats and the aircon is cool. It's the same for the ordinary buses (except there's no aircon of course).
I guess the only downside is the arm rest is not available on all seats. If you are sitting by the aisle, there's a huge chance that you will slip because of the swerving. Not good if you're the sleepy type.
Well, why did I even bother to write a whole entry on this bus? Wala lang. =) I guess I just wanted to give a tip for people who are in a hurry or would like to get to either Fairview or Pangasinan in the fastest possible time on a bus. Btw, I am not in anyway connected with them. I am just a regular commuter/traveller who took notice of a bus line that stood out for me.
Now I actually had concluded this a long time ago when I was still studying in UP. I had chanced by one of their buses heading to Fairview from Ortigas, and I got to Philcoa in around 15 mins!
What I noticed is that they consistently do the ff things:
1. They only stop when a passenger is either going off or about to ride the bus.
2. They drive fast to the point of swerving most of time (not good for the faint of heart).
3. The conductor asks in advance if someone is going off at a certain stop. And if none, they either use the flyover/underpass or pass by the service road without stopping unless a commuter will ride.
4. For provincial trips, their stopover is usually shorter than other bus lines.
So whenever I am about to go off at Ortigas from the jeep I was riding, I would usually already look ahead if a FermEx bus is approaching or has already stopped by. Because by then I can try to catch the eye of the conductor who usually glances at the back in case someone is still trying to get a ride. It's funny how I really wanted to catch this bus every morning because I was always running late. There was even a point I literally ran after it. And almost always when I do catch this bus, I end up arriving way ahead of time.
Another nice thing about their service is that the seats are sized just right. What I mean is the 3-seater can actually seat 3 people and not 2 or 2 and a half of an ass. Plus their buses look well-maintained, without much graffiti on the seats and the aircon is cool. It's the same for the ordinary buses (except there's no aircon of course).
I guess the only downside is the arm rest is not available on all seats. If you are sitting by the aisle, there's a huge chance that you will slip because of the swerving. Not good if you're the sleepy type.
Well, why did I even bother to write a whole entry on this bus? Wala lang. =) I guess I just wanted to give a tip for people who are in a hurry or would like to get to either Fairview or Pangasinan in the fastest possible time on a bus. Btw, I am not in anyway connected with them. I am just a regular commuter/traveller who took notice of a bus line that stood out for me.
