Philippine Rabbit Bus Lines, Inc. (PRBL) is a provincial bus company in the Philippines. It was founded in 1946 and is one of the oldest bus companies in the country. The company's area of coverage extends from Metro Manila to

Baguio Baguio ( , , ), officially the City of Baguio (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

and northern provinces of

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (; ; ), is a province in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, ...

and

Tarlac Tarlac, officially the Province of Tarlac (; ; ; ; ), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. It had a population of 1,503,456 people according to ...

. Its main terminal in

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...

is along Avenida in

Santa Cruz, Manila Santa Cruz is a district in the northern part of the Manila, City of Manila, Philippines, located on the right bank of the Pasig River near its mouth. It is bordered by the districts of Tondo, Manila, Tondo, Binondo, Manila, Binondo, Quiapo, Ma ...

. Philippine Rabbit was once known for their red, rivet-studded buses powered by Isuzu, with the illuminated sign at the front, which once became a staple of roads in Northern Luzon. They were eventually supplanted by more modern Nissan Diesel units.

History

Philippine Rabbit was founded on August 28, 1946 by brothers-in-law, Florencio P. Buan and Ricardo L. Paras. It was then named Philippine Rabbit Bus Company, Ltd. They started with two salvaged US Army weapon carriers which they bought in a junk shop in Mabalacat, Pampanga. Their maiden trip was from Divisoria, Manila with a stopover in San Fernando, Pampanga. On its one year of operation, the company was operating ten US Army weapon carriers converted to passenger trucks. In 1952, they acquired front-engined

International Harvester The International Harvester Company (often abbreviated IH or International) was an American manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, automobiles, commercial trucks, lawn and garden products, household equipment, and more. It wa ...

buses which operated from Manila to Moncada, Camiling, Victoria, La Paz, Concepcion and Tarlac City. The company was incorporated on August 28, 1957 with the business name Philippine Rabbit Bus Lines, Incorporated. On March 25, 1963, the PRBL incorporators organized the Bupar Motors Corporation as the exclusive distributor of Mitsubishi Fuso engines and spare parts in the country. The corporation also included a bus body building plant (which built their famous red, rivet-studded buses) and a tire recapping facility. In 1977 PRBL opened its Rabbitours Division in its Caloocan Terminal on 2nd Avenue to handle chartered trips for domestic tours. With the tax incentives the government gives to Tourism oriented companies, PRBL started acquiring air-conditioned buses. In the start of the 1980s, the Company started modernizing its bus fleet with air-conditioned buses servicing the routes to

Balanga, Bataan Balanga (pronounced ), officially the City of Balanga (; ), is a component city and capital of the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 104,173 people. Balanga was included the UNESCO Global N ...

, Laoag, Ilocos Norte, and

. In January 1992, PRBL started its bus fleet rehabilitation. They announced the acquisition of 150 brand new air conditioned buses for its 3-year modernization program to meet the demands for safe and convenient travel on air conditioned buses. Twenty Mitsubishi De Luxe (2001 series) were commissioned in 1992; another thirty Nissan Diesel (Aero Bus Series) in 1993; Fifty Nissan Diesel (Flexi Series) in 1994, and another fifty Nissan Diesel (Euro Bus Series 3015) in 1995. In 1998, the Philippine Rabbit became one of the sponsors of the

Metropolitan Basketball Association The Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA), also shortened as Metroball, was a professional basketball league in the Philippines that ran for five seasons from 1998 until 2002. The MBA was established to rival the Philippine Basketball Asso ...

in partnership with the

Philippine The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

media conglomerate A media conglomerate, media company, media group, or media institution is a company that owns numerous companies involved in mass media enterprises, such as music, television, radio, publishing, motion pictures, video games, amusement parks, or ...

and broadcasting company

ABS-CBN Corporation ABS-CBN Corporation is a Mass media in the Philippines, Filipino Media conglomerate, media company based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the largest entertainment television and film production, Broadcast syndication, progra ...

. The company renewed its partnership with ABS-CBN in February 2000.

Labor dispute and losses

In 2002, the company's workers conducted a 50 day strike. By November 2002, the company was forced to close its offices due to the strike. The strike ended on 19 December 2002 after the company's workers and management came to an agreement. On April 5, 2004, the company's employees went on strike and demanded for the prompt payment of salaries and benefits, their 13th Month Pay, Retirement benefits, and service incentive pays, including the immediate updating of employees' SSS premium contributions and collected SSS Salary loan deductions. They also cite the non-implementation of agreement between the workers and the Philippine Rabbit dated December 2002. On April 7, 2004, DOLE Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas issued a Return-to-Work Order with PRBL Management promising to settle its obligations to the employees. The Company defaulted.

Fleet

Philippine Rabbit Bus Lines, Inc. currently operates air conditioned buses and utilizes a fleet of

Daewoo Daewoo ( ; ; ; ; literally "great universe" and a portmanteau of "''dae''" meaning great, and the given name of founder and chairman Kim Woo-choong) also known as the Daewoo Group, was a major South Korean chaebol (type of conglomerate) and aut ...

Hyundai Hyundai is a former South Korean industrial conglomerate ("''chaebol''"), which was restructured into the following groups: * Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested ** Hyundai Asan, a real estate construction ...

, Higer, Sunlong and

Yutong Yutong (officially Zhengzhou Yutong Group Co., Ltd.) is a Chinese manufacturer of commercial vehicles, especially electric buses, headquartered in Zhengzhou, Henan. Yutong also has businesses in construction machinery, real estate, and other in ...

buses.

Current

Guilin Daewoo * Guilin Daewoo GDW6119H2 Higer Bus Company Limited * Higer KLQ6109AE3 "V90" * Higer KLQ6119E3 "V91" Santarosa Motor Works * ''Santarosa Motor Works Jetliner bus body'' ** Daewoo BV115 Shanghai Shenlong Bus Co., Ltd. * Sunlong SLK6112 * Sunlong SLK6116 Zhengzhou Yutong Group Co., Ltd. * Yutong ZK6117H "C11"

Former

Daewoo Motor Company (Daewoo Bus) * Daewoo BH115E Royal Economy * Daewoo BH116 Royal Luxury * Daewoo BH117 Royal Cruistar Del Monte Motor Works * ''Del Monte Motor Works Aero Xtreme bus body'' ** Nissan Diesel RB31S * ''Del Monte Motor Works Adamant bus body'' ** Nissan Diesel RB31S * ''Del Monte Motor Works DM09 bus body'' ** Nissan Diesel RB31S

Hyundai Motor Company Hyundai Motor Company, often referred to as Hyundai Motors, ( ) and commonly known as Hyundai (), is a South Korean multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, which ...

* Hyundai Aero Space LS Kia Motors Corporation * Kia Granbird KM948 SD-I Greenfield * Kia Granbird KM949H HD Sunshine Santarosa Motor Works * ''Santarosa Motor Works Exfoh bus body'' ** Nissan Diesel RB46SR * ''Santarosa Motor Works Flexi bus body'' ** Nissan Diesel RB31S * ''Santarosa Motor Works SDX bus body'' ** Nissan Diesel RB46SX Nissan Diesel Philippines Corporation * ''Nissan Diesel Euro Trans bus body'' ** Nissan Diesel RB46S ** Nissan Diesel RB46SR ** Nissan Diesel JA430SAN File:PRBL SR Daewoo BV115.jpg, Daewoo BV115 "Jetliner" File:Philippine Rabbit Guilin Daewoo.jpg, Guillin Daewoo GDW6119H2 File:PRBL Daewoo BH115E.jpg, Daewoo BH115E "Royal Economy" File:PRBL White Hyundai Aero Space LS.jpg, Hyundai Aero Space LS File:PRBL 1029.jpg, Higer V90 - KLQ6109 File:PRBL Higer V91.jpg, Higer V91 - KLQ6119 ''(280HP)'' File:PRBL 1121.jpg, Higer V91 - KLQ6119E3 ''(310HP)'' File:PRBL Sunlong.jpg, Sunlong SLK6116 File:PRBL 1005.jpg, Sunlong SLK6112 File:PRBL Euro.jpg, Nissan Diesel Euro Trans File:PRBL SR EXFOH.jpg, Nissan Diesel JA450SSN

Destinations

Metro Manila

* Avenida,

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

Provincial Destinations

San Fernando, Pampanga San Fernando, officially the City of San Fernando (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it h ...

(via

Malolos Malolos , officially the City of Malolos (), is a component city and capital of the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 261,189 people. It is the capital city of the province of Bulacan as the ...

) * Mabalacat, Pampanga (Dau Bus Terminal) * Marquee Mall,

Angeles City Angeles (), officially the City of Angeles (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 462,928 people. A ...

Tarlac City Tarlac City, officially the City of Tarlac (; ; ; ), is a component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Tarlac, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 385,398 people, making it the most p ...

Camiling, Tarlac Camiling, officially the Municipality of Camiling, (; ; ), is a municipality in the Philippine province, province of Tarlac in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 87,319 people. Camiling is one of the fastest-g ...

Alaminos, Pangasinan Alaminos, officially the City of Alaminos (; ; Sambal: ''Babali nin Alaminos''; ), is a component city in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines, and is known for being the home of the Hundred Islands National Park, which is composed of 124 ...

(via Camiling, Tarlac)

Former Destinations

Araneta City Bus Port The Araneta City Bus Port (ACBP), also styled Araneta City Busport, is a bus station in Quezon City, Philippines. The bus station is currently one of two bus terminals in the Araneta City business district that link Metro Manila with the Provinc ...

, Cubao, Quezon City *Balintawak,

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

Caloocan Caloocan, officially the City of Caloocan (; ), is a highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 1,661,584 people making it the fourth-most populous city in the Philippines. Caloo ...

Concepcion, Tarlac Concepcion, officially the Municipality of Concepcion (; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Tarlac, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 169,953 people. H ...

Santa Cruz, Zambales Santa Cruz, officially the Municipality of Santa Cruz (; ; ), is a municipality in the province of Zambales, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 63,839 people. Santa Cruz is from Olongapo, from Iba, and from M ...

(via Alaminos) *

Iba, Zambales Iba , officially the Municipality of Iba (; ; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality and capital of the Philippine Province, province of Zambales, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 55,581 people. T ...

Bolinao, Pangasinan Bolinao, officially the Municipality of Bolinao (Bolinao: ''Babali nin Bolinao;'' ; ; ), is a municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 83,979 people. Sea urchins are regular ...

Dagupan Dagupan , officially the City of Dagupan (, , ), is a 2nd class independent component city in the Ilocos Region, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 174,302 people. Located on Lingayen Gulf on the northwest-central ...

San Fernando, La Union San Fernando, officially the City of San Fernando (; ), is a component city and the capital of the province of La Union, Philippines. It serves as the regional and administrative center of the Ilocos Region. The city also functions as a hub ...

Vigan Vigan, officially the City of Vigan (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

Ilocos Sur Ilocos Sur (), officially the Province of Ilocos Sur (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital of Vigan, while Candon is ...

Laoag Laoag (), officially the City of Laoag (; ), is a component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 111,651 people. It is the province's most populous settlement, ...

Ilocos Norte Ilocos Norte (), officially the Province of Ilocos Norte (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region. It is located in the northwest corner of Luzon island, bordering Cagayan and Apayao to t ...

Aparri, Cagayan Aparri ( Ibanag: ''Ili nat Aparri''; ; ), officially the Municipality of Aparri, is a municipality in the province of , Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 68,839 people. Aparri is a bustling municipality and t ...

* Bangued, Abra *

Mariveles Mariveles, officially the Municipality of Mariveles (), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 149,879 people making it ...

Bataan Bataan (, , , ; ) , officially the Province of Bataan, is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entire Bataan Peninsula ...

References

{{reflist Bus companies of the Philippines Transportation in Luzon Transportation in Pampanga Transportation in Pangasinan Transportation in Tarlac Transportation in Benguet Transport companies established in 1946 1946 establishments in the Philippines