A netizen raises concerns on overloading and skipping stops involving bus-jeepneys or beeps plying three routes in Cebu City. | Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Beeps or modernized bus-jeepneys should have proper stops and should not load or unload passengers at non-designated areas.
This was the pronouncement of Cebu City Councilor Eugenio Gabuya Jr. to the Cebu City Council after reports came out that some beep drivers are not following certain traffic rules including where to properly load and unload passengers.
The beeps ply three routes in the city including Cebu City Hall to IT Park, Guadalupe to Carbon Market, and Banawa to Panagdait.
Beeps and jeepneys have the same designated stops for loading and unloading passengers.
However, on September 2019, complaints from passengers have reached the office of the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB-7) that beeps are overloading passengers and that the drivers do not follow their designated loading and unloading areas especially during rush hours.
READ Beep told to follow traffic rules or else…
LTFRB-7 Director Eduardo Montealto Jr. had earlier warned beep operators that they will lose their franchise if they are caught violating traffic rules multiple times.
Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella also warned beep drivers and operators that they will be cited for violations if they do not follow traffic rules and regulations.
Two months after the warnings were issued, Gabuya said he still receives the same reports from concerned passengers who regularly ride beeps for their daily commute.
“A number of passengers in Cebu City now prefer or have grown accustomed to riding the modern bus-jeeps. As the number of beep passengers increases, it is considered a necessity to designate beep stops for the convenience and safety of the passengers,” he said.
Gabuya said the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) must create a bus stop plan for the beeps so they will no longer load and unload indiscriminately.
He said this will also allow the passengers to have a safe area to load and unload passengers.
He said the safety of the passengers should be the topmost priority in the establishment of these bus stops, while traffic in the area of the road where bus stops will be placed should also be considered.
For Gabuya, providing a proper bus stop for the beeps would lessen the chances of violating simple “no stopping signs” or “no loading and unloading”.
By taking this measure, he said beeps will no longer have to compete with the jeepneys at the designated stops.
This will also ensure that the public will know where to wait for the beeps in an area considered to be safe for loading and unloading. / celr