Piston Cebu worries about livelihood of PUJ, bus drivers

SM MYBUS/OCT.08,2015:Marissa Fernan Vice President at SM Prime Holdings Inc together with DOTC Sec. Joseph Emilio Abaya and DOTC Usec. Rene Limcaoco inspect the new SM MyBus at Radisson hotel.(CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

THE militant transport group Piston joined other transport groups in opposing the operation of European-made buses ordered by a consortium of SM Prime Holdings Inc. and a Manila-based bus firm.

Greg Perez, Piston Cebu chairman, said the new buses would affect the livelihood of more than 1,000 public utility vehicle drivers, especially those plying routes in Natalio Bacalso Avenue and the Mactan airport, where the new buses will serve.

“Last April, I went to the office of Cebu City Councilor Nestor Archival Sr., and he said there will be no public utility routes affected. So I was surprised by the news. We were told before that the buses would only ply the route from SM City Cebu to SM Seaside City (in Talisay),” said Perez.

The new hybrid buses will traverse main roads through cities of Talisay, Cebu, Mandaue up to the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA).

Perez said not only jeepney drivers but drivers of taxis, airport taxis, and other bus units are worried.

Perez said the new buses would congest strets because Metro Cebu doesn’t have wide roads to accommodate big bus units.

Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Abaya, who inspected the buses last week, said the SM My Bus is a solution to traffic congestion as it carries more passengers and is energy efficient.

Richard Corominas, president of Cebu Provincial Bus Operators Association (CPBOA), also said he would oppose the operation of the SM My Bus units during a public hearing.

“It’s fine when they only traverse along South Road Properties (SRP) from SM Seaside to SM City Cebu, but they are covering the entire Metro Cebu. Do they have SM in Lapu Lapu City? Only the rich can avail of the facility,” Corominas told reporters.

The units are manufactured by Volvo, Mercedez Benz and Daewoo and will be operated by the Metro Transit Services, Inc. (MRTSI), a consortium formed by Manila-based Jam Liner, Inc. and Premier Southern Corp., a subsidiary of SM Prime Holdings, Inc.