Philtranco not closing, management clarifies

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s oldest bus company Philtranco has spoken amid weeks of speculation about its status, clarifying that it is only entering a “temporary suspension of operations” and not closing.

In a social media post, Philtranco, which has been serving Filipinos for 112 years, clarified that it is not permanently closing the bus firm.

“We wish to clarify the official status of Philtranco Service Enterprises Inc. transport services. In accordance with the formal directive from president Michael Sabban dated Feb. 2, 2026, the organization is entering a temporary suspension of operations,” Philtranco said in a statement.

Netizens have speculated that the bus company will be ending its operations following a circulating internal memo.

“We wish to emphasize that this directive pertains to a suspension and does not signify a permanent company closure. Thank you for your continued cooperation and understanding,” Philtranco said, referring to an internal memo which states that operations of the bus company will run only until March 30.

The Philtranco management did not reveal its reason for the “temporary” suspension of operations.