It's Back: Baguio's Free Tourist Buses Are on the Road Again

(SPOT.ph) If you’ve recently taken a road trip to Baguio City, especially during weekends or holidays, then you would know taking your own car to the City of Pines comes with its own set of tribulations—uphill roads, parking (ugh), and worst of all: traffic (double ugh). 

Traffic in Baguio can get so bad that sightseeing trips up north end up becoming staycations just because of all the hassle of going around. Lucky for us,  the city government of Baguio has recently decided to revive the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus (‘HoHo’ Bus) for free starting Friday, July 15, and every weekend thereafter.

Is the Baguio City tour free on the 'HoHo' bus?

The free HoHo Bus rides are available only for tourists with approved VISITA QTP and for those willing to park their vehicles at the designated parking area in the Baguio Convention & Cultural Center. Rides are available from Fridays to Sundays. 

Think of it as a park-and-ride system with which the government hopes to lessen the amount of vehicles plying the city roads during peak days. Parked vehicles must pay the city sanctioned parking fees of P35 for the first two hours, with an additional P10 per hour for light vehicles; P40 for the first two hours, with an additional P15 per hour for mini buses; P400 for the first two hours with an additional P15 per hour for buses; and, P10 for the first two hours with an additional P5 per hour for motorcycles.

Each passenger in the parked vehicles will receive a bus pass which gives them unlimited rides on the HoHo buses for that day. Once they’re done touring for the day, they return their bus passes in order to claim their vehicle. Lost passes will be charged P25. 

Also read: ICYDK: Libreng Sakay E-Jeeps Also Ply in Baguio City

What to expect with the Baguio HoHo bus

Tourists can avail unlimited free rides on the Hop-On, Hop-Off Tourist Buses which will traverse the usual tourist destinations such as the Baguio Botanical Gardens, The Mansion, Mines View Park, and Wright Park before heading back to the final drop-off point near the city center. From there, tourists can walk, shop, and dine along Session Road, or even head on over to Burnham Park for boating, biking, and other fun activities. 

Buses have a waiting time of about 15 to 20 minutes per stop but tourists can stay in each destination for as long as they want and just catch the next available bus onto their next destination. Keep in mind that for now there are only two buses plying the circuit, so be mindful of your time and note that if you do overstay, there might be a line to catch the next bus. 

HoHo Buses will start operations from Baguio Convention Center at 8:30 a.m. while its last trip is scheduled to leave Wright Park for the drop-off point at 6:20 p.m.

It is expected that there will be seven trips in a day which can serve over 290 tourists. The city government hopes that this will translate into preventing at least 50 cars from clogging the roads in one circuit. 

Baguio City's free HoHo Tourist Bus is available starting July 15. For updates, follow the Baguio Tourism Facebook page.

Hey, Spotters! Check us out on Viber to join our Community and subscribe to our Chatbot.