Getting Around Bacolod City

Upon recommendation of my cousin-in-law, we opted to charter a taxi going to Bacolod City. We used the services of Faith Taxi, which my cousin-in-law always uses when he has business trips. We could have taken the airport vans, but hubby wanted to make sure his bag for photography gear is not cramped with the bags of other travelers. The Faith Taxi unit we used was new, clean (and smelled clean,too), had really cool air condition, and a radio by which the driver and the office can communicate with each other in case of accident or car breakdown.

Hubby and I were impressed the first time we used the services of Faith Taxi. The driver assigned to fetch us at the airport was very professional, clean-looking and a nice guy. When I asked if our taxi would be passing by the church or any old house along the way to Bacolod City, he said no, but he offered to bring us to the Silay Cathedral. He also drove us around the City to see some old houses. Faith taxi rate is P500 from the Airport to the hotel in Bacolod. Tip is optional; we gave P100 tip.

From Bacolod City to the airport, we again got the services of Faith Taxi. Rate was the same, P500. We gave only P50 tip because we went straight to the airport, no favor asked for side trip elsewhere.

Update: When we went to the 2011 Masskara Festival, we were fetched by my cousin from the airport. After the festival, we got the services of Faith Taxi again. I canvassed from other taxi/car rental and they were charging us much more than P500.

NYALA got vans and cars for rent. So if you go to Bacolod and want to go for an out of town trips, you can call up NYALA. Their van/car price varies, depending on the type of vehicle and if there's no driver or not.

They also have shuttle vans going to and fro the Airport.

Bacolod is just a ferry away from Iloilo. Iloilo is in a neighboring island called Panay. So if you are in Bacolod, you might as well visit Iloilo City. It is a simple city, where most government offices for Western Visayas Region are located. Iloilo is also home to old churches, nice people and good food.

Going there, there are plenty of fast ferries that operate everyday. They depart on scheduled time and are all located in BREDCO in the Reclamation Area of Bacolod. Such ferries are Weesam Express, Oceanjet and Supercat. Fare is usually P450-500, roundtrip and around P300 one way. They leave more or less after 2 hours. Travel time is usually 1hour 30minutes or depending on the sea condition.

Bacolod is the Capital of the province, Negros Occidental. People from neighboring towns and cities would usually flock in Bacolod for business transactions, shopping, eating, even for schooling. Going to and fro places outside Bacolod, there are buses which leave on scheduled trips.

The largest bus liner in the province is Ceres. Fare depends on where you are going and how long the distance would be. There is the South terminal for places south of Negros and the North terminal as well.

In areas which the jeepneys dont pass by, especially going to Subdivisions or Housing, there are always tricycles ( improvised motorcycle with a side-car) which can be relied on. A tricycle can accommodate 5 passengers but sometimes it can reach up to 10, which of course depends on the size of people it carries. Filipinos are usually small so it can fit.

Fare is usually P7.00, but on special trips or you are the only passenger, the driver may charge up to P50.00.

When you are in Bacolod and you plan to go to places around the City, transportation is not a problem. Plenty of jeepneys that operate on specific routes usually pass by the downtown area where most shops are located.

Some jeepneys operate 24 hours and there are others which are only until midnight. So it depends on where you are going.

Standard fare within the City irregardless of the distance is P7.50 pesos, around $10cents.

Bacolod City's jeepneys looked longer than the ones you see in Manila. Minimum fare is P7 only. Before you set out to go around the city, ask the front desk or hotel security guard what route you should take. The route is painted on the sides of the jeepney.

I gathered that there are four jeepney routes: Banago-Libertad, Mandalagan- Libertad, Bata-Libertad, and Shopping-Libertad routes. It is easy to learn which PUJ to take; they ply the direction of rectangular routes. PUJs are the most popular mode of transportation for travel around the city.

From the New Silay-Bacolod Airport, you can can take the air-conditioned vans going to Bacolod City. You will see them parked just after youi get out of the arrival area. We didn't use this shuttle service because we opted for a chartered taxi, but I gathered that fare is P150.