Let the good times keep on rolling!

Though I've been to the metropolis several times, the buses that I frequently rode are of "ordinary" and "deluxe" and/or of "VIP" class, and the service provider that I'm going to share with you today is about the bus I rode going to the venue of the Philippine Blockchain Week event held at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Pasay City, Metro Manila recently.

It's my first time to rode a vehicle that is categorized as "tourist bus." All of this started while I waited at the bus station in my hometown of Bacnotan, La Union, for a bus to take me to Pasay City, Metro Manila. Nighttime prevented me from noticing that the bus I flagged down had the word "Tours" marked on its side along with the word "Partas," the name of the company which operates the bus.

The name of the company, "Partas," is a reverse or palindrome of the Persian term "Satrap," which in the ancient language means "governor," as the owner of the company, Luis Chavit Singson, served as the governor of Ilocos Sur for a number of years. The proprietor and operator of Partas also goes by the name Satrap for his building business. The Ilocano term for "speed" or "being fast," pardas, is pronounced similarly to partas.

I was able to learn, however, that the bus I had been riding was a tourist bus when I got off to stretch my legs at the bus stop in Sison, Pangasinan. Then, since this is one of the best buses that gives me a comfortable ride every time I travel to Metro Manila, I took some video clips to document this kind of first-time experience. I also recorded a video of the bus' interior so I could share the level of comfort the bus can offer while in transit. The Partas Transport Company's buses are all fully airconditioned, have reclining seats, and most come with music or movies to watch while traveling. The personnel and staff of the bus company are generally courteous and approachable.

Early in the 1990s, when its rivals Fariñas Transit, Inc., Times Transit Corporation, and Philippine Rabbit Bus Co. were in charge, the bus firm had modest beginnings. A few years later, the activities of Times Transit were briefly interrupted owing to labor issues. It eventually changed its name to Dominion Bus Lines, and Philippine Rabbit Bus Co. was also pummeled by labor problems, which caused its operations to cease. It later restarted its operations in a few select cities. Partas Transportation Co. remained to be at par with its existing rivals throughout the years and their fleet keep on improving to meet the demands of the riding public. Their major terminals in the city of Cubao and Pasay respectively have passenger's lounge that are comfortable to stay while waiting for the appropriate bus to ride and have charging stations for phones.

This is my contribution for this week's Market Friday hosted by Ma'am @dswigle. Thanks for taking some time to read my humble composition.

POSTSCRIPT

For those who want a much cheaper but comfortable ride going from Northern Luzon provinces to the Metropolitan Manila and vice versa, they can avail the services of Viron Transit, Inc. and their buses are shown at the first part of the video.