At least 912 operators and more than 1,000 drivers of public utility jeepneys (PUJs) that will be affected by the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Cebu City will be profiled.
They were asked to fill up questionnaires from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
“We ask personal information like their family background, children, wives and other employment so we can address any possible effect that the BRT will have on them,” Cebu BRT office head Rafael Yap said.
Drivers were asked to tell their operators to fill up the questionnaires as well. Yap said the questionnaires are different for both drivers and operators.
Convenient
Yap said the questionnaire is part of a “dialogue” with drivers and operators to guide BRT proponents.
Based on a World Bank description of the project, several PUJ routes will have to give way to the dedicated bus lanes. but some jeepneys will still operate as feeder lanes to BRT stations.
Yap said even with the increase in the number of private vehicles, the BRT remains a viable public transportation system.
Cebu City Hall’s BRT group accompanied LTFRB officials in an ocular inspection of BRT routes last month.
The routes start from Natalio Bacalso Avenue to Osmeña Boulevard to Talamban. Yap said his office is still validating the locations of terminals and stations to suit needs of the public.
At least 180 BRT units will operate in Cebu City once the project is completed. The center island of Osmeña Boulevard will be used for dedicated bus lanes and passenger terminals. .
Detailed engineering studies for the BRT project will start early this year over an eight-month period.
The P10.6 billion BRT project, financed by a World Bank loan, is expected to be operational by 2017./With Correspondent Michelle Joy L. Padayhag