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— The Editors

Free shuttle for Laoag airport passengers during Holy Week

By Leilanie Adriano

April 5, 2023, 7:34 pm

<p><strong>FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE</strong>. A Florida bus waits for passengers at the Laoag International Airport on Wednesday (April 5, 2023). The free shuttle service is meant for arriving local and foreign visitors without a pre-arranged vehicle to take them to the city proper. <em>(Photo courtesy of Nikki Pilar)</em></p>

FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE. A Florida bus waits for passengers at the Laoag International Airport on Wednesday (April 5, 2023). The free shuttle service is meant for arriving local and foreign visitors without a pre-arranged vehicle to take them to the city proper. (Photo courtesy of Nikki Pilar)

LAOAG CITY – A free shuttle service will be provided for passengers arriving at the Laoag International Airport without a pre-arranged vehicle to take them to the city proper, the Ilocos Norte government said Wednesday.

Metro Ilocos Norte Council project head Athena Nicollete Pilar said the provincial government has begun deploying a shuttle bus to fetch passengers arriving at any time of the day through Philippine Airlines.

On Wednesday, the pink bus of Florida Transport, Inc., labeled "PGIN Free Shuttle Service," began transporting passengers from the airport to their hotels, mostly within the city proper.

The free shuttle bus service, courtesy of the Ilocos Norte government, was launched during the term of then-governor and now Senator Imee Marcos in 2012 to serve local and foreign visitors.

The province started providing free shuttle rides to the airport in pre-pandemic times, particularly during the holidays when droves of balikbayans and tourists came to Ilocos Norte to spend Christmas.

"The free shuttle service is in partnership with Florida bus. The provincial government will shoulder the gas expenses," Pilar said, adding, however, that the shuttle service is only good for the Holy Week.

She, however, said the provincial government is working on how to make the shuttle service permanent at the airport.

At present, public utility jeepneys plying the Laoag-Gabu route are the only means to reach and leave the airport.

Some passengers who are on a short stay in the city and those who could not arrange a private vehicle would hire a tricycle to and from the airport for PHP200 to PHP250.

In a separate interview, Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc expressed optimism that more visitors would visit the province this Holy Week as major hotels in key tourism areas are fully booked on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

The Ilocos Norte Tourism Office expects the tourism peak to carry on until June and July. (PNA)

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