A jeepeney plying Cebu City’s Fuente Osmeña Rotunda before the pandemic began on March 2020. | CDN file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB-7) promised that traditional jeepneys will slowly return to the streets of Cebu City.
This was what Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said after he met with the transportation agency to discuss the local public transport route plan on Tuesday, September 15, 2020.
One of the studies presented by the LTFRB-7 to the city government was the possibility of traditional jeepneys returning to the streets soon.
“We really want the jeepney to be back so that the buses can return to their original route in the province,” said the mayor.
Read: LTFRB-7: Old jeepneys not yet likely to return to Cebu City roads
However, based on the study conducted by the LTFRB-7, the number of passengers is not yet enough to justify the return of the traditional jeepneys.
The study noted that there are still far fewer passengers in the city, which is under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), compared to the normal average pre-pandemic time. According to the study, even the buses and modern jeepneys that are currently plying the streets still feel the lack of passengers.
The bulk of the passengers travel during the rush hour from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., the usual rush hour daily even before the quarantine period.
For the rest of the day, the passengers are minimal that sometimes big buses only cater to five passengers on a one-way trip.
With this, the agency suggests a gradual return so that the road will not be overwhelmed with the number of jeepneys while bigger buses are still on the streets.
The local public transport route plan already takes the possible return of the traditional jeepneys incorporated into the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route into account.
The plan is expected to be completed on October 15, 2020, and will include the timeline of when the jeepneys are expected to return. /bmjo