LTO-7 inspects a modern jeep for compliance with the mandatory wearing of face shields. (Contributed Photo/LTO-7)
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Even with the opening of all jeepney routes in Cebu City, many areas are still struggling with public transport especially the interior portions where residents are forced to ride unconventional transportation such as habal-habal.
Residents in Oppra in Barangay Kalunasan and Barangay Quiot, both residential mountainside areas where there used to be an abundance of traditional jeepneys plying pre-pandemic are especially affected.
Councilor James Cuenco, the head of the JTF, told CDN Digital in a text message that since the reopening of all routes, only nine jeepneys have successfully returned to the streets as of June 15, 2021.
Due to the closure of his office for a week because of a case of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the processing of applications for jeepneys was delayed.
Since the Balik Pasada Program began in October 2020, the city has seen the return of a total 851 traditional jeepneys in selected routes.
Cuenco said that many traditional jeepneys no longer wish to go back on the street and will just focus on transitioning to modern jeepney units.
“Most TPUJs (traditional jeepneys) are already unserviceable considering nga dugay na wa kadagan and the operators would rather sit it out and wait for the release of their loans to purchase new MPUJs rather than spend a fortune to repair the dilapidated units,” said Cuenco.
This poses a problem to the continuous lack of public transport in the city after workers have returned to their offices.
With this, Cuenco said the JTF will deploy six modern jeepneys each to Quiot and Oppra, Kalunasan to at least meet the transportation demand of the area.
Cuenco said they will be fielding the modern jeepney as soon as they can reroute some of them to the said barangays.
The councilor hopes this will help ease the transportation needs of the residents. /rcg