The Alatco company history

July 1, 1914: a young enterprising American serviceman Albert Louise Ammen together with another American, Max Blouse organized a small transportation company in Iriga, Camarines Sur, with an initial fleet of one (1) auto-truck. He called the company ALATCO or the A.L. Ammen Transport Co., Inc. Its first route was Iriga-Naga. Mr. Ammen's venture into the transport business had become so successful that soon he expanded his fleet to service the other towns of Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Albay and Sorsogon. ALATCO became the principal carrier in the Bicol region, inaugurating highway travel that was to open remote villages in the Bicolandia, to the mainstream of economic and social development.

1942: World War II aborted expansion of the transport company. When it resumed operations in 1945 with surplus US Navy trucks bought from the United States Commercial Company, the company was faced with ruinous competition and beset with problems of maintaining its efficiency and safety as a result of her expanded size and nature of operations.

1949: The Heirs of Don Nicasio Tuazon of Manila took over ownership of ALATCO, and, with infusion of new capital, embarked on an ambitious program of expansion and rehabilitation. One important development at this time was the company's "dieselization" Program that converted its gas-powered trucks to diesel.

1952: ALATCO operated four hundred (400) units in its fleet, and it centered its fleet in Iriga. It also maintained subsidiary shops in Daet and Labo, Camarines Norte; Naga City, Camarines Sur; Ligao, Tabaco, and Legaspi in Albay; and Sorsogon and Irosin in Sorsogon.

1953: ALATCO ventured to Quezon province by consolidating into local and express bus operations from three small bus companies servicing the area. It operated under the umbrella of the Eastern Tayabas Bus Co. (ETBCO) headed by Mr. Ramón Soler. EBTCO later entered into a 5-year lease contract with the Laguna Tayabas Bus Company (LTBCO).

1971: ALATCO and ETBCO were sold to the Mantrade Group that formally amalgamated the operations of the two firms into one company. It was named the Pantranco South Express, Inc. (PSEI) to differentiate it from its northern counterpart, which the group then already owned.

1973: Compounded by global crises and steep escalation of fuel costs, PSEI nearly collapsed. The new owners and manager (the Lopa-Coujuangco group) insisted on providing the service even during floods, road interruptions and bad road conditions. Debt-strapped and traumatized by high operation costs, the company's creditors decided to take over the organization.

1974: The Creditors Syndicate of PSEI decided to develop and implement a Corporate Rehabilitation Program. The same year, the Company added Catanduanes, Samar and Masbate to its scope of operations, having formalized tie-ups with passenger ferry operators in these areas.

1978: PSEI introduced its air-conditioned coaches in its southern route.

1980: The Company expanded its freight service operations and moved its central offices and terminal at its present site in Pasay City.