Mandaue tricycle routes may be reclassified under GCQ

The Mandaue City Tricycle-for-hire Regulatory Board is proposing a new set of barangay clusters, where tricycles may ply if they will be allowed to operate if and when the city shifts to GCQ. | CDN Digital FILE PHOTO

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Close to 3,000 units of tricycles in Mandaue City may be redistributed to different route clusters should they be allowed to operate once the city would downgrade to general community quarantine (GCQ).

Mandaue City Tricycle-For-Hire Regulatory Board, in a resolution, recommended that if the city would already be under GCQ, the tricycles may be allowed to operate within five clusters of barangays through a special permit to operate.

The distribution of tricycles that may be allowed to operate, however, may differ from their current routes under their existing franchise. There are currently 2,966 tricycles with actual franchise in the city.

The proposed clusters are as follows:

• Zone 1 (Red) — Tricycles in this zone may traverse barangays Casuntingan, Cabancalan, Maguikay, Tingub, Tabok, Pagsabungan, and Canduman. These barangays are located in the western part of the city.
• Zone 2 (Blue) — This zone covers barangays in the eastern side of the city, namely Paknaan, Jagobiao, part of Barangay Basak, and Labogon.
• Zone 3 (White) — This zone covers the barangays closest tot he city’s center including Mantuyon, Centro, Ibabao-Estancia, Opao, Umapad, Looc, Cambaro, and Alang-alang.
• Zone 4 (Yellow) — The yellow zone comprises of barangays Banilad, Tipolo, Casuntingan, Bakilid, and part of Cabancalan.
• Zone 5 (Orange) — This zone covers the upland barangays of Casili, Cubacub, and Tawason in the north.

In operating under the GCQ, the Tricycle-for-hire Regulatory Board proposes that the existing franchise will be suspended so that the tricycles may operate in the proposed zones.

For instance, there are actual 697 tricycle franchises in areas under Zone 1, but in the proposed route under the GCQ, the number of tricycles plying the roads there will be increased to 877.

For Zone 2, the actual franchises would be reduced from 1,021 to 454. Franchises in Zone 3 would be up to 872 from presently 424.

The number of actual franchises in the areas covered by Zones 4 and 5 are 365 and 459, respectively, but under the proposed routes, this distribution will be changed to 436 franchises in Zone 4 and 326 in Zone 5.

P25 fare

Under the same resolution of the Tricycle Board, a tricycle will only be allowed to carry one passenger at a time in compliance with the national Interagency Task Force’s (IATF) provision on physical distancing. The fare per passenger will be P25.

The Mandaue City Council, in their regular session on Tuesday, May 26, 2020, approved the resolution of Councilor Jimmy Lumapas seeking for the city to adopt the resolution of the Tricycle Regulatory Board.

READ: Mandaue, Cebu City remain under ECQ – IATF

Although Mandaue City has earlier been given the green light to shift to GCQ last May 16, the city has requested to remain under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) pending its completion of its strategic community testing for COVID-19.

The ECQ status of the city is effective at least until May 31. /bmjo