Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is PinoyTravel?

   PinoyTravel is a company that aggregates provincial/long distance bus and ferry comapnies into one site to give you a single a view of services available to your desired destination. Some of the services published can be reserved directly from the site, the others are not yet- but we are working really hard to get everyone on board!
   We are the biggest service provider of this kind in the Philippines and we have had many happy and repeat customers. We may not be as “high tech” as our counterparts abroad but since we launched in Oct 2013, we are been improving a lot.

2. Why would I have to reserve a seat in advance?

   To make sure you have a seat at the date and time of your desired travel, we urge you to book early because there are limited seats available – specially when youir desired date to travel is on peak periods or weekends.
   

3. Why are some trips just one way?

   We are working very hard to make all reservations round trip. This is mostly due to limitation on the bus companies to handle round trip at the moment. But some of our routes are on round trip already.

4. Why do I have to wait 24 hours to know if my reservation can be served?

   This due to our current process with the bus partners. They are new to this online booking service and they would like to take things slowly. But some are scheduled for instant confirmation very soon.

5. Why didn’t I receive email about the confirmation?

   Please check you spam folder. It might have been categorized by your email server as spam. If its not there, please email our customer service support and inquire. There are times when its way past the 24-hour limit but the seat may still be available

6. Why should I register my mobile number?

   We send 2 notifications- via email and SMS. Just in case you are not online, its best that you get updates via SMS. Don’t worry, we keep your information confidential.

7. Why are your total prices higher than over the counter prices at the bus terminal?

   Public transportation fares in the Philippines are highly regulated and technically the bus companies are not allowed to give is discounts/commisons. Charging you a small fee is our way of sustaining our operations. We have priced our service fee to still make sense for you to book online instead of going to the bus terminal to book in advance or take a chance on the day of travel.

8. How do I pay for my reservation?

   We cater to a very diverse market. From foreigners, to OFWs, to professionals, to farmers who may not have bank accounts. So we opened up options from credit card to Paypal to over-the-counter bank and over-the-counter non-banks through our payment gateway partner DragonPay. We also have kiosk resellers where one can walk in and request a reservation through the help of a person.

9. How will I get the bus ticket?

   Upon payment we will send you a travel VOUCHER which you will have to print (per way), and bring it with you when you take your trip. You hand off the voucher to the designated person in the bus station and they will issue you the bus ticket. Why so? Because the bus ticket is the Offcial Receipt of your base bus fare and PinoyTravel is not allowed to issue that in behalf of the bus company.
   Our bus partners do REQUIRE that printout and may not honor a soft copy from your smartphone, tablet or laptop:(

10. I would like to cancel/rebook my trip. Is this possible?

    We follow the guidelines of each bus company for cancellations and re-booking. In general, when the trip is cancelled due to bad weather or cancelled by the bus company for other reasons, re-booking is allowed without additional fees. If re-booking is initiated by you, there might be charges. Most bus companies do not allow refund. Get in touch with our customer service to understand what guidelines apply to you.

11. I missed my bus, what do I do?

    If you miss your bus, you will have to buy another ticket to get into another one.

12. What do I do to change the date and or time of my reservation.?

    This will be considered re-booking and re-booking policies apply.

13. Why can’t I book for a large group?

    We limit the number of seats per request. If you have a big group (9 or more) and cannot seem to get confirmation, please email us at [email protected] In some cases charter might be a better option for you.

14. I lost my luggage or have complaints about the bus service. Can you help me here?

    We can only relay your complaints and we ask our partners to improve their service to create the best customer experience possible. For lost luggage and other damages during your trip, the terms and conditions set forth by the bus companies apply.