A dispatcher holds up a signage of their bus route in Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) to call for passengers to get tickets from them. CDN Digital photo | Raul Constantine Tabanao
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The ‘No ticket, no entry’ policy in Cebu South Bus Terminal has gained the support of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB-7).
LTFRB-7 Regional Director Eduardo Montealto Jr. said the policy is a prelude to the modernization of public utility vehicles (PUVs), which is expected to be on full-swing by June 2020.
Montealto said they are even looking into integrating the booking system of the bus tickets online in the long run.
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia ordered the implementation of the no ticket, no entry policy in CSBT, which took effect last Tuesday, October 29, 2019, in order to better manage the flow of passengers in the terminal.
Representatives of the bus lines operating in the terminal have since set up make-shift ticketing booths in the passengers’ entrance where the passengers need to get a ticket first before they are allowed to enter the waiting area.
“I am thankful that she is following this direction because this is very systematic. We can apply this scheme in our vehicle modernization program and eventually, we will be implementing an online booking scheme,” Montealto said
Montealto said drivers, operators, and passengers alike are still adjusting to the new scheme.
“Maanad ra ta kadugayan aning no ticket no entry. Imagine lang ninyo nga mapareho ta sa airport kay di man gyud ta makasulod didto pod kun wala tay ticket,” he added.
(We will eventually get used to this no ticket, no entry policy. Imagine that we will be operating like in the airports where passengers will not be allowed to get in without their tickets.)
“Come June 2020, the full implementation of our public utility vehicle modernization program, that will be the time that we will see that we are taking the right measures as early as now,” Montealto said. /bmjo