27,000 passengers flock to Cebu bus terminals for Kalag-Kalag

27,000 flock to Cebu bus terminals for Kalag-Kalag

The Cebu South Bus Terminal | CDN Digital 2020 File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Cebu’s two bus terminals welcomed approximately 27,000 passengers for this year’s Kalag-Kalag.

Carmen Quijano, manager of the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) and Cebu North Bus Terminal (CNBT), said the figures were higher compared to the height of the pandemic in 2020.

“I-compare nimo sa una nga di paluag, karun daghan na gyud pasahero niuli. Last year, puerteng mingawa,” Quijano told reporters in a teleconference.

(In comparison with the time when tighter restrictions were still in place, more passengers were already able to travel this time.  Last year, we had very few travellers.)

CSBT, Cebu’s largest bus terminal, accommodated 20,000 passengers over the weekend. The remaining 7,000 are from CNBT which is housed in SM City Cebu’s outdoor parking area.

On the other hand, Quijano said, bus operators were able to respond to the influx of passengers in both terminals.

“Around 300 buses ang nibyahe pa-South unya 200 sa North,” she said.

(Around 300 buses were able to ply the south Cebu routes while 200 were in the north.)

Quijano also said operations in the two bus terminals went smoothly during the weekend as passengers have already adapted to the “new normal settings.”

“Pasalamat ta kay atong mga pasahero nakaadapt na. Kabalo na sila unsay buhaton, unsay dad-on inig abot dinhe. Mag face mask, face shield unya mag social distancing,” Quijano explained.

(We are grateful that our passengers have already adapted [to the new normal.]. They now know what to do and what to bring when they go to the terminals.  They now use face masks, face shields and observe social distancing.)

In the meantime, the management is preparing for another wave of passengers to crowd in the two terminals for Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

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