Commuters take bus rides as PUJs hold nationwide strike

Commuters crowd a Ceres bus plying Mandaue City hall to SM City Cebu. (CDN PHOTO/DORIS C. BONGCAC)

For a fee of P10, several Mandaue City commuters took a bus ride to their work places today.

Myra Flores, 23, said she had been waiting for a PUJ ride near the Mandaue City hall for about 30 minutes already but failed to get a ride.

When a Ceres bus passed. She took the ride on her way to work at the Cebu Business Park.

Flores, a resident of Barangay Alang-Alang in Mandaue City, works as a sales girl at the Ayala Center Mall.

From the Mandaue City hall, she disembarked at Barangay Mabolo to get a second ride to her work place.

Her usual fare of only P10 may have doubled for the day but Flores said she’s left with no choice becuase of the ongoing transport strike.

“Maayo na lang ni kay sa mo absent ko (this is better than being absent),” she said.

Saldie Sabaysabay, a Ceres bus conductor, said 10 other units were issued special permits to ply outside of their route for the day.

Five of the said units were deployed in Mandaue City while the five others were in Lapu-Lapu City.

Sabaysabay said they started to ply the Mandaue City hall and SM City Cebu route since 7:30 a.m. and was already making their 4th round by 10:30 a.m.

Like in usual bus rides, Sabaysabay would stilk issue tickets to passengers.

Their unit was supposed to be bound for Tuburan town in northern Cebu.

Sabaysabay said they will resume their usual route when the transport strike ends.