Garcia plans to extend requiring buses to pass through terminals beyond Aug 15

Provincial Public Utility Pass and Trip Receipt indicating the actual number of passengers on board and their maximum capacity will be issued to buses plying the provincial routes starting at midnight tonight, August 6, 2021.   | Mae Fhel Gom-os

CEBU CITY – Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said she is planning to extend beyond August 15, 2021, the new regulation requiring all buses plying provincial routes to pass through either the north and south bus terminals.

READ: New regulations for PUVs in effect starting Aug. 6

Garcia said they find this a more orderly way to prevent overloading saying that buses will be issued a Provincial Public Utility Pass and Trip Receipt indicating the actual number of passengers on board and their maximum capacity when exiting the terminal.

“We intend nga kani nga sistemaha will extend beyond August 15 because we find this to be a more orderly way of treating, una sa tanan, the requirement for buses to pass through bus terminals, and there’s only two nga authorized, north bus terminals ug south bus terminals. Ikaduha, the prevention of overloading kay klaro naman nga kutob raka diha [nga capacity] unya naa nama’y mga PNP (Philippine National Police) nga mo check,” said Garcia.

The governor warned drivers and bus operators and other PUVs that the police and Highway Patrol Group personnel are conducting random checkpoints and mobile patrols, which will start at 12 midnight on Friday, August 6, to ensure compliance with the new regulation and other health protocols.

Once caught overloading, Garcia said the excess passengers, would be asked to disembark from the bus and wait for the operator to provide them another one that would transport them to their destination.

“Why did I say nga kinahanglan nga last board nga pasahero… Moangkon sad mo og gamay’ng responsibility uy. Kita nga perti nang punoa mosakay pa gyud mo,” she explained.

“This is also a plea, sama sa akong giingon ba, isig bantayay lang ta sa atong kaugalingon. Panggaon nato ang atong kaugalingon. Kon nahasol man gani ta kay gikapoy nata’g huwat, mas maayo pa na kaysa mahasol ta nga matakdan ta [sa COVID], ” Garcia added.

The governor, however, clarified that buses could still pick up passengers along the road, provided that they limit it to their maximum capacity to avoid inconvenience.

Drivers who could not show the required Provincial Public Utility Pass and Trip Tickets, which are required to be posted on their buses, would be apprehended and fined by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

“Inig gawas nila, issue-han na sila og receipt, pila ang pasahero nga nakarga. Inig flag down ana nila, pangitaon natong receipt from the terminal kon naa ba gyud. Kon wala, that means wala sila moagi sa terminal,” she said, stressing that bus drivers or operators should choose either to pay P200 fee in the terminal or be fined by the LTFRB which is way higher.

Garcia said there is a need for buses to pass through the terminals to ensure that all passengers undergo thermal scanning.

With this, the governor said that buses will be forced to pass through the terminals noting that there are ‘notorious’ buses who opted to load passengers outside of the terminals. /rcg

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