Most jeepney operators want to continue plying BRT route
YAP
Six out of 10 jeepney operators in Cebu City want to continue serving the route that will be used for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.
The P10-billion BRT project will displace 912 jeepney operators and 2,614 jeepney drivers currently serving 22 routes.
“We recognize that a vast majority of the respondents want to continue their operation along the BRT route based on the baseline data collected. But the data is not yet enough. We want to know the sentiments of the drivers and operators so we will know how we can assist them,” said Cebu BRT chief Rafael Yap.
A survey conducted by the Land Transportation and Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 7 showed that 60.2 percent of the operators who responded so far don’t want to give up their routes. The survey is still ongoing.
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) 7 has offered to help the affected jeepney drivers in the social management aspect of the BRT project.
Yap said technical education and skills training is just one of the tools in addressing the social issues of this project.
A memorandum of agreement was signed by the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), Tesda and Cebu City government for the employment assistance and skills training programs under the BRT project.
DOTC, through LTFRB, will conduct a survey who among the affected PUJ operators or any of their family members are willing to go through the free training for alternative livelihood.
TRAINING
Among the skills scholarship program are shielded metal arc welding, auto servicing, electric installation and maintenance, plumbing, dressmaking, household services, pipe fitting, bread and pastry production, refrigeration and air-conditioning servicing, wellness massage, cookery, beauty care, forklift operation, hydraulic excavator operation, contact center services, technical drafting and computer systems servicing.
Those who will pass Driving NC II may be prioritized to drive the buses of the BRT.
The affected drivers or any one of their family members, who will avail of the Tesda services, will also be given a daily allowance of P60.
Assuming there will be 933 participants in the Tesda project, the agency has allocated P13.9 million at a cost of P15,000 per participant.
The BRT team has identified several alternative measures to address the negative impact on the jeepney sector, including helping operators to move to other franchise routes.
There may be areas or routes that remain inadequately served or unserved by public transport as determined by the LTFRB and may be good alternative routes that will feed routes to the BRT line, Yap said.
Another alternative measure is to offer existing transport operators service contracts for the BRT bus services.
Finally, another measure is to assist drivers or conductors find employment within the new BRT system or in any part of the economy by offering training and skills development.
The P10.6 billion BRT project is set to be operational by 2018. It will field about 200 buses along a 23-kilometer route from the South Road Properties to Talamban in Cebu City.
Yap said a social management consultant will be hired to look into a social management plan and come up with program design of capacity building and implementation.
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