Metro Cebu’s low score due to index info lapses

CEBU is the worst place in the world to be a driver, according to Waze’s Driver Satisfaction Index 2016.

But Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) head Rafael Yap said this is due to the lack of index information.

Although Yap admitted that the worsening of congestion can be attributed to the overwhelming growth of vehicle traffic, which the transportation and traffic infrastructure failed to keep up with, he said that very low score of Metro Cebu is because of some missing index information that were missed by the users.

“As far as the Waze survey is concerned, we note that Metro Cebu’s score can be attributed to some missing index information — specifically in Driver Services Rating (info is N/A) and in Social Economics (info is scored zero),” he said in a chat message.

Yap believes that the missing information is vital in having a correct rating. and that this is the reason why Metro Manila scored higher than Metro Cebu.

“We believe that Metro Manila scored higher than Cebu because all their indexes were complete. As Waze is a user-driven app, we hope that Waze users in Metro Cebu can correct this lapse of information,” Yap said.

Waze is an application that allows a driver to know real-time traffic situations, and at the same time, allows drivers to contribute information to fellow drivers by opening the app while driving.

Since information gathered in Waze comes from its active users, Yap urged Cebuanos who are using the app to put in more information in order to correct or improve Metro Cebu’s rating.

The Driver Satisfaction Index is a study conducted by Waze that analyzes the driving experience in different countries.

Based on Waze’s official blog, with ten as the most satisfying experience rate, this year, Cebu scored 1.1, which is the lowest among 38 countries and 235 metropolises, while Metro Manila scored 3.7.

According to Yap, CCTO acknowledges the challenge of managing traffic congestion, given the increasing pace of economic development as evidenced by the growth of call centers and malls in Cebu City.

He said traffic violators also contribute to traffic congestion.

“Notwithstanding this, the CCTO is ramping up our apprehensions with the hiring of more traffic personnel and the purchase of more enforcer equipment. Likewise, we are working with the
Department of Transportation to improve our public transportation and traffic infrastructure through the introduction of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit project,” he said.

“Also, the proposed third bridge project undertaken with the help of the private sector is viewed to decongest the coastal roads of Cebu going to Cordova and Lapu-Lapu,” he added.