Commuters favor new temporary V-hire terminal at the back of Cebu South Bus Terminal

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Some Cebuano commuters favor the new location of the temporary terminal for some southbound van-for-hire (v-hire) units at the back of the provincial-owned and operated Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT).

Anne Gabayan, a Facebook user, commented “Pwede ra na kesa adto sa seaside good job sa atong gobernadora,” on the CDN Digital #SiloyAsks post on Friday, May 5, 2023.

(That is okay as long as it’s not at Seaside. Good job to our governor.)

“Uyon. At least naa gihapon sa syudad,” added another user, Castro Alcibar Roenil.

(I am in favor with it as long as it is still in the city.)

Likewise, user Dems Nvnto said “Uyon kay aron mausa rag dasok ang mga taw sa South Bus Terminal sa mga muadtos south [Cebu] naa silay immediate option to take bus or van. Basta ayaw lang tawn sa SRP, layo na kaayo, wa pay jeep mo agi didto…”

(I am in favor with it so that the commuters will only have one place for them to go south [Cebu] at the South Bus Terminal. They then have an immediate option to take a bus or van. As long as it is not at the SRP, it is so far, there are also no jeepney routes there…)

For Jeffrey Legara, from Moalboal, Cebu, the abrupt move to close the temporary V-hire terminal in Barangay Kamagayan, Cebu City, brought inconvenience to the commuting public; though, he welcomed the new location for the temporary V-hire terminal behind the CSBT.

“Para nako kay okay lang nga naa silay temporary terminal, but they need to have a discussion with the local government kay hasol sa commuters nga mukalit lang sila’g kawala, especially nga ang mga tawo kay naa nay plans then maaffected lang tungod kay naay mga butang nga wala nasabutan og tarong,” he told CDN Digital.

(For me, it is okay to have a temporary terminal, but they need to have a discussion with the local government because it is a hassle for commuters that the terminal will suddenly be gone, especially if the commuter has plans then it will be affected because there is something that they talked about and did not agree on.)

Since Thursday, May 4, some operators and drivers of V-hires bound for southern Cebu have used the vacant lot at the back of CSBT, with the approval of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.

The property can accommodate around 40 to 50 vans.

Garcia’s decision came after operators met with her on Wednesday, May 3, to ask for her intervention after they were asked to move out of the temporary V-hire terminal in Barangay Kamagayan, which, according to the Cebu City government has been operating illegally.

READ: Appeal to Cebu City gov’t: Don’t abandon vendors affected by V-hire terminal shutdown

V-hire terminal closed

Personnel of the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO), led by its head Raquel Arce, shut down the V-hire terminal last April 28.

The city government, which owns the lot, said that the terminal there was operating illegally, without the required accreditation and as remedy, the city government wanted the V-hire terminal to return back to its original location in SM Seaside.

Collin Rosell, Cebu City government administrator, earlier, asked operators to coordinate with the city and help find out who was operating the terminal V-hire, using the city’s name.

“They (operators) have a recourse. Go after those who placed them there. Kaila man na sila (They know who they are). But if they will keep their mouth silent then that’s the end of it.”

At least 50 units of V-hire, which are each plying the Simala and Moalboal routes and 130 others plying to Toledo and vice versa were using the temporary v-hire terminal in Kamagayan.

READ MORE:

As v-hire begins transfer to Cebu South Bus, vendors express concern