JTF wants to reopen all jeepney routes in Cebu City

Cebu City allowed the first batch of jeepneys to resume plying their assigned routes November 20, 2020. | CDN Digital File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines –The Jeepney Task Force (JTF) in Cebu City is asking Mayor Edgardo Labella to already reopen all public utility jeepney (PUJ) routes in the city in response to the overwhelming request coming from the operators

In his letter to the mayor, Councilor James Cuenco, the JTF head, said that operators have been making an appeal for their routes be reopened so that they could already start to recover from the losses which they incurred since the implementation of the lockdown in 2020.

Operators, Cuenco said, promised to comply with health and safety protocols set by the city government to protect the commuters against the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Furthermore, the request of the operators is supported by the recommendation of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB-7) to already reopen all intra-city routes to meet the demands of the riding public.

Since Cebu City was placed under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) more businesses were allowed to reopen with most of their workers traveling on a regular basis.

READ: Cebu City still under MGCQ: Qpass stays, cockpits, theaters, cinemas to remain closed

With the green light from the LTFRB-7, Cuenco said, that the time has already come for the city government to also allow the resumption of more intra-city routes.

“The Balik Pasada Program was generally assessed to be performing well with no jeepney unit or driver apprehended by our law enforcement and traffic agencies,” Cuenco said.

He said that the commuter’s call for the resumption of PUJ operations should be responded to because workers need an efficient transportation system for them to be able to report to work and help in the eventual recovery of Cebu’s economy that  was badly hit by the pandemic.

Mayor Labella is yet to issue his statement on the JTF’s recommendation, but in previous interview, the mayor had said that he was prepared to heed the advice of traffic agencies.

But before they could ply their assigned routes, PUJ drivers and operators will have to comply with government requirements that will include the need to observe social distancing. / dcb