The Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) said city residents can expect more jeepneys on the city’s streets after 100 jeepney drivers will to soon ply the approved routes within the city. CDN Digital photo | Delta Dyrecka Letigio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City should expect an additional 100 more jeepneys running the currently approved routes with more jeepney drivers set to complete their qualifications for the Balik Pasada Program.
The Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) will be conducting a mandatory seminar for at least 100 driver applicants, who already tested negative for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), as a refresher for the health protocols and traffic regulations before their return to the streets.
Councilor James Cuenco, who leads the city’s Jeepney Task Force (JTF) said these drivers are part of the original 1,300 targetted jeepneys to return on the streets.
He said so far there is no immediate demand to add more jeepneys with over 600 already plying the streets along with the buses, but there are still jeepney drivers longing to return to their livelihood.
“This is to give a chance for those jeepney drivers to earn a living again,” he said in a phone interview with CDN Digital.
There are no new routes that have opened, but the current routes, which focus on inner and larger barangays with more workforce in need of public transportation, may benefit from additional jeepneys plying there.
Cuenco is hoping that with more jeepneys, the incidents of overloading and violation of social distancing often reported by passengers will decrease.
Increasing the number of units may be the solution to the high demand for public transport during the rush hours from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
With more jeepneys plying the streets there would be no more reasons for the jeepneys, buses, and their drivers to overload their units and forego social distancing. /rcg