Manila Airport to Batangas Pier via public bus

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jumpfrog

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Location
South Korea
# of dives
25 - 49
I want to avoid doing an expensive private transfer (traveling solo), and I am arriving too late to take one of the tourist transfers to PG. Anyone have experience with the public bus? Which line is reliable? I hear there is a scam where they take your fare and then the bus "breaks down" and they try to shove you off on other passing buses. I would like to avoid this; also, I expect to clear customs about 11am, can I get a bus arriving at the pier before 3-4 pm?

advice needed!
 
Yes, you should be able to make it to the Pier by 4pm. Take a taxi from the airport to the JAM bus terminal in Pasay. Take the bus to Batangas Pier. Make sure you have purchased your Pesos before you leave the airport. Not the best rate, but you're in a rush. You may wish to purchase an additional seat for your gear, rather than store it in the luggage compartment. You can go on the bus hungry, plenty of hawkers get on the bus to offer local snacks. Buko pie is sarap (delicious).
 
I will take the white taxi outside the departure hall rather than the yellow airport taxi outside the arrival hall.

Manila do not have a central bus terminal. Bus for Batangas Pier can be found around Buendia and JAM has its own terminal there.
White taxi from the airport to Buendia should not cost more than P150.00. I had used the Ceres Bus(dark blue) on couple occasions to Batangas Pier for P166.00. Terminal fee is P30, the STUPID environmental fee is P50.00 and the ferry is around P250.00.
White taxi from the airport to Batangas Pier including all the tolls should not cost more than P3,000.00(no meter) with meter it is considerably less than P2,000.00. Ignore the non-sense about returning to Manila without passenger from the driver.

If you miss the boat connection to PG/Sabang, the fast craft to Calapan is possibly another option. But I have no experience of travelling from Calapan to PG at night or late afternoon.
 
I did it the way Bubbles did it; JAM Bus from Passay. Easy and cheap! I think Centrals directions are just as good!

No need to shell out 100$+ to get to Sabang...:coffee:
 
The bus does not drop you off at the ferry pier. It is quite a walk from the final bus stop to the pier, (especially with gears). Tricycles charge anywhere from 35-50P and it is a 2-3 minute ride, or there is a jeepney for about 5P, but not sure where to catch it from the bus station.
Not sure where you going, you say PG, but ferries also go to sabang, white beach, and even small laguna. Be sure to get your ferry ticket at the counter.
I have riden the bus a few times and it is okay, I like to sit up front and the tip on the extra seat is a good one, only a few bucks more, but no one next to you and you can keep an eye on your stuff.
 
Blue, JAM has a bus that brings you right to the pier. I took it a few times while there... :coffee:
 
also there are DIMPLE STAR and PHILTRANCO on Edsa terminals closer to the airport than Buendia. just make sure to get the Batangas Pier bus going direct
 
Blue, JAM has a bus that brings you right to the pier. I took it a few times while there... :coffee:
So do Ceres!!
5 mins walk to the terminal at most.
YES, make sure the bus go to Batangas Pier.
 
Clearing the customs by 11 am then getting a taxi to drop you off at a bus terminal, then taking a bus heading towards Batangas Pier in order to catch the 4 pm last ferry out for Puerto Galera, hmmm, its feasible. But in any event, I suggest you have a back-up plan, in any case.

Ordinarily, travel time all in all is between 2 1/2 to 3 hours. But that presupposes no heavy traffic, stop-overs or waiting time. From the airport to the bus terminal, expect to encounter minimal to heavy traffic which can set you back by 30 minutes. Upon arrival at the bus terminal, the bus you will be boarding on will not leave immediately as it will still have to wait for sufficient number of passengers before being dispatched bound for Batangas Pier. Waiting time then at the bus terminal can be as short as 15 min to an hour. Along the way, it is normal to expect traffic along the south superhighway considering that the skyway at alabang portion is under construction, plus the fact that at the time you are seated comfortably in the bus trekking towards your intended destination, trailers and other trucks are likewise allowed to travel during that window period (between 10 am to 4 pm), thus contributing to the traffic conditions. In addition, buses inasmuch as they are a profit-oriented business would try to pick-up as passengers along the way, as well as try to get as many additional passengers as possible during stop-overs. So expect to be delayed by an additional 30 min to an hour along the way.

Considering the above, I'm pretty sure that from the time you clear the customs and until you reach Batangas Pier, you'll be pretty much agitated, uneasy and always at the edge of your seat, anxious and worried that you may not be able to catch the 4 pm last ferry ride at Batangas Pier. So just in case you fail to reach Batangas Pier, be prepared to stay at a traveller's lodge at Batangas City. I suggest you make a research and find out where you can stay overnight in case you fail to arrive at the Batangas Pier before 4 pm and just take the earliest scheduled ferry out the next day.
 
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