Philtranco, established in 1914 by two Americans, Albert Louis Ammen and Max Blouse who together formed Al Ammen Transport Company or ALATCO, this year marks its 100th year of serving the Filipino bus passenger.
The company is the first bus operator in the Philippines - as well as in Asia, reflecting an era when the country was the most advanced in the region.It is, without doubt, one of the country’s most recognizable - and loved - heritage brands, fully committed to providing each traveller its company vision of “Byaheng Masaya, Serbisyong Subok Na.”
In the Seventies, the company likewise pioneered service to the Eastern Visayas and by the early Eighties had also expanded into ferry operations. By 1986, it had unveiled the country’s first-ever archipelago-wide transport network, that connected Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. At the time, cargo truck and air-conditioned bus service were also added as enhancements to its routes. It owns or operates six major passenger terminals in Cubao, Pasay, Daet, Iriga, Tacloban and Davao. In the last quarter of 2013, Philtranco was taken over by new management.Today, a hundred years since it rolled out its first bus, Philtranco continues to service the Southern Tagalog , Bicol, Eastern Visayas, and Mindanao regions through a growing fleet of 250 buses.