The northbound route of the Cebu Interim Bus System.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Follow the bus stops and report any erring or abusive drivers immediately.
This was the pronouncement of Eduardo Montealto, Jr., Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB-7) director, two days before the implementation of the Cebu Interim Bus System (CIBus), the temporary transport system in Cebu City in preparation of the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) System, on March 16, 2020.
Montealto told CDN Digital in a phone interview that the pilot run of the CIBus will not be as grand as planned due to the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Yet officials will still lead the CIBus implementation on Monday at 10 a.m. and all precautionary measures have been set such as having bottles of alcohol on the buses for passengers to use as disinfectants.
READ: CIBuS launch postponed but operations ‘a go’ on March 16
Montealto reminded the passengers that unlike the beeps and jeepneys, the CIBus would have designated bus stops where they would be allowed to load and unload.
The southbound route of the Cebu Interim Bus System.
“Follow lang gyod ta sa bus stops. Di ta patakag sakay ug naog kay para ra pud na sa inyo safety. (Let us follow the bus stops. Let us not load and unload indiscriminately because that is for our safety),” he said.
CIBus protocols
He also encouraged the passengers to observe the buses that they were going to ride on if the drivers followed the protocols.
READ: CiBuS to change behavior of Cebuano commuters
Abusive drivers, who go beyond the speed limit or unload passengers outside the bus stops, should be immediately reported to the LTFRB-7.
The CIBus would be a test run for the future BRT and Montealto said the public’s feedback would help the Department of Transportation (DOTr) improve the transport system.
He hoped the public would study the CIBus so they could get used to the system before the BRT would come.
The CIBus has 17 bus stops from the South Road Properties to the Fuente Osmeña Circle. Fare starts at 11 pesos for the first five kilometers with a 2.20 pesos increase for every kilometer traveled thereafter./dbs