City Hall to seek ban exemption for BRT

By: Vanessa Claire Lucero January 22,2016 - 12:09 AM

DETAILS. BRT project manager Rafael Yap discusses Cebu City's mass transport project during a forum at the University of San Carlos Law building. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

DETAILS. BRT project manager Rafael Yap discusses Cebu City’s mass transport project during a forum at the University of San Carlos Law building. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

Cebu City Hall expects to see detailed engineering plans for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system finalized at the end of this month in order to start procurement of materials and services for the project before this year’s elections.

“We want to start procurement for the BRT project before elections. We will apply for an election ban exemption,” Cebu BRT project manager Rafael Yap said in a forum yesterday. The election ban, where government is prohibited from releasing funds, takes effect 45 days before the elections.

Procurement for the project will take four to six months, Yap said.

Korean firm Kunhwa Engineering and Consultancy is expected to meet its deadline to complete the detailed engineering design by the end of this month.

But additional works for the project that were requested by the Cebu City government will be completed in June or July yet.

Barring any other delays, Yap said actual work on the project will start in October or in the fourth quarter of this year.

Land acquisition, construction of stops, stations, and other civil works, as well as the selection of a system manager will be undertaken until 2017.

Yap said the BRT will be operational by the last quarter of 2018. The first phase of construction will cover a four-kilometer stretch of road on Osmeña Boulevard.

Yap said they will start work on this since it doesn’t have any right-of-way acquisition requirements.

A major concern is that jeepney drivers serving 22 routes will be displaced.

“Vendors, passenger jeepney operators and drivers will be negatively affected. They cannot compete with the BRT,” Yap said.

Alternatives for both operators and drivers have been identified, including the possible re-routing or shortening of routes, servicing of routes in the outskirts of the main BRT route and a change of livelihood.

Yap said the operators and drivers realized the need for a better public transport system.

“PUJ drivers said they are not picky about alternative jobs as long as it’s legal and will provide for their family,” Yap said.

Yap said the project will affect 22 routes which are served by 1,191 franchises, 912 operators, 1,307 units and 2,614 drivers. Another 12 routes may be restructured, affecting 719 franchises, 416 operators, 780 units and 1,560 drivers.

Engr. Paula Fernandez, executive director of the Pagtambayayong Foundation, said an alternative livelihood is being readied for the drivers.

Acting Vice Mayor Nestor Archival said drivers and operators are assured priority for application as bus drivers.

The P10.6-billion BRT project, the first in the Philippines, is being implemented by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Cebu City government.

A fleet of nearly 200 buses will serve up to 330,000 passengers daily from Bulacao to Talamban.

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TAGS: BRT, Cebu, Cebu City, mass transportation

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