One of PH’s oldest bus companies nears end of journey after over 100 years
Philtranco, recognized as one of the country’s oldest bus companies, will be shutting down for good at the end of next month after operating for more than a century.
Philtranco president and CEO Michael Sabban announced the “official business stop operation of Philtranco Service Enterprises, Inc. effective Mar. 30, 2026” in a company memorandum dated Feb. 2.
“For years, we have fought an uphill battle to keep our wheels turning. However, due to serious business losses, we can no longer sustain our business operations,” he said.
“Due to the severity of these losses, the company is no longer in a position to sustain payroll,” Sabban added as he acknowledged the impact the bus firm’s closure would have on its employees and their families.
According to him, the decision was the “absolute last resort, made only after every other alternative was exhausted.”
On Feb. 10, the company changed its profile picture on its Facebook page to a dimmed version of its logo, apparently to signal that it was nearing the end of its long journey.
Sabban, in his memorandum, paid tribute to the bus company’s personnel, saying that “Philtranco is more than a bus line; it is a century-long legacy.”
He called his drivers and conductors “the heartbeat” of the company’s service and described the maintenance and office staff as “the backbone that kept this complex operation alive.”
“We are grateful for the years you gave to this journey,” Sabban said.
Beginnings
Philtranco started operating in 1914 as the Albert Louis Ammen Transportation Co. It was named after its founder, American soldier AL Ammen, and became the first American-owned bus company in the Philippines.
It was later purchased by D. Tuason, Inc., which marked the beginning of its transformation into a Filipino-owned corporation.
In 1949, the company began acquiring other regional bus lines. Ownership again changed hands in 1971 when the firm was bought by the Mantrade Group, which renamed it Pantranco South Express and later, Philtranco Services Enterprises, Inc. in 1985.
Initially serving the Iriga to Naga routes, the bus company, according to its website, travels to more than 100 destinations, which it serves through over 200 trips daily.
