Passengers rush in to board their respective buses in the South Bus Terminal as they start going home to their towns of origin for the holidays in this file photo.
AS people begin to head home to their cities and towns beginning this weekend in preparation for Christmas, a huge influx of passengers is expected at both the north and south bus terminals in Cebu City.
However yesterday, fears were raised of a possible shortage of buses on Saturday, December 17, if Ceres bus drivers decide to join their company Christmas party.
“I would like to inform the public to expect that there will be a shortage of buses by Saturday, especially the Ceres,” Albert Joey Herrera Jr., head of the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) said.
Herrera expected around 25,000 passengers would pass through CSBT over the weekend.
“It is normal on weekends and on a payday. Sometimes, buses can go for 550 trips. You multiply it to 40 per bus, that is 25,000,” he said.
Upon hearing of Herrera’s concern, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Regional Director Ahmed Cuizon quickly responded with a call to Ceres last night.
“I strongly discouraged them from leaving their routes en masse because this will deprive passengers of their rides and this is a violation of the terms and conditions of their franchise,” Cuizon told Cebu Daily News.
Ceres, he said, promised to comply with the LTFRB reminder.
In a talk with CDN, Dellmarc Carangan of Ceres Liner clarified that their bus drivers were not required to join the Christmas program on Saturday.
“We are not requiring them to join. They will be busy on the road,” Carangan said.
Ceres Liner has a total of 189 bus units operating in Cebu province.
Meanwhile, security measures remain tight at CSBT with closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera operators on a standing order to be vigilant of bags left unattended.
K9 police dogs of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA-7) are also at the terminal to check on passengers’ luggage.
“The open bag policy is applied to all the passengers,” Herrera said.