Welcome to my post-series called “Quick review”. These are not as long as regular posts, given that they are very specific and I don’t want to pretend to know more than I do by writing a 3000-word post based on that one time I took that one bus company’s bus. These posts simply express my own opinion based on my limited experience with a company. I hope my experience helps you decide whether or not that specific company is for you! In this “Quick review” I will review Coda lines Transport

Context

I went from Manila to Banaue and then back to Manila with Coda Lines Transport in February 2020. I did this trip with my boyfriend, my mother, and my sister, and for this particular trip my mother bought the tickets. Without further ado, here is my review of Coda Lines transport!

Review of night 1 (Manila-Banaue): 6,5/10

The station: 2/10

This is not really Coda Lines’ fault, but I wanted to include it nonetheless. The station is in a kind of shady neighborhood and it’s not very well-lit. There are cockroaches (which I hate because of a certain experience) running around and I saw a mouse or two running behing the buses. Luckily there are usually lots of other people waiting so it doesn’t feel unsafe, just really gross.

Customer service: 8/10

Our bus was two hours late but I can’t blame the company as it was because of traffic. They have an office at the bus terminal, where we were informed that the bus would be late. My mother was also informed by mail. Getting in the bus was also very easy and efficient.

Cleanliness: 9/10

I was happy that they took their time to clean the bus even though it was late (not a given in all Southeast Asian countries). I wouldn’t have eaten off the floors but it was just fine.

Comfort: 7/10

My mom had booked a “premium” bus for this trip, so the bus only had 30-ish seats and we had a little more leg room. The seats didn’t recline very far though.

Safety: 7/10

The driver was driving pretty fast, which isn’t unusual in Southeast Asia. In fact I was so used to it after traveling there for three months that I barely noticed. There were seatbelts and I was positively surprised by the quality of the roads! I don’t like driving next to a mountain slope but there was always something on the sides of the road : houses, rocks, or actual barriers.

Sleep quality: 6/10

I slept for about five hours, which is pretty good for a night bus.

Aircon: 6/10

I was wearing shorts and a sweater and although it did get a little cold, I used a sarong as a blanket and that was more than enough.

Bathrooms: 6/10

I hate going to the bathroom in a bus, but according to my family they were reasonably clean.

Review of night 2 (Banaue – Manila): 5,5/10

The station: 6/10

The station is basically the tourism center’s office and two benches. There is a nice restaurant called “Al’s Place” just across the street though.

Customer service: 8/10

Nothing really happened at the station so we didn’t need assistance. As with the first trip, getting in the bus was mostly quick and efficient aside from some confusion in terms of seating which was not the company’s fault.

Cleanliness: 7/10

The bus itself seemed clean but our bags were a little dirty when we got them back.

Comfort: 4/10

This time we had regular tickets rather than Premium tickets, so there were 45 seats in the bus – it was basically a regular bus with a little bit more leg room.

Safety 7/10

The driver was driving fast, just like on the first trip. Unfortunately this is just something you have to deal with. The roads were the same as on the first trip and they were all in very good shape.

Sleep quality: 2/10

I didn’t manage to sleep at all during this trip. I don’t fall asleep very easily in buses either way, but the bus was not very comfortable and that definitely played a big part in my lack of sleep.

Aircon: 5/10

This time the aircon felt freezing. Before getting on the bus we were already a little cold (it gets very cold at night in Banaue) so that definitely didn’t help. I wore a pair of leggings, a sweater, and my sarong as a blanket and I was still cold.

Bathrooms: 6/10

Same as for the first night, according to my family they were reasonably clean.

Conclusion

I don’t regret taking the bus with Coda Lines because even though it definitely wasn’t perfect. Firstly, because I had to get to Banaue somehow and both Ohayami and Coda Lines have similar reviews. Secondly, because in the end it’s experiences like this that make travel what it is. I got an awesome story about how I didn’t sleep at all in a night bus to get to see some of the coolest rice fields I have ever seen!

You can visit Coda Lines’ website and book tickets here

Have you taken a bus by Coda Lines (or even Ohayami, their competitor)? I would love to know what your experience was like, tell me in the comments!

You can find more posts about the Philippine here!