Rama tells DOTr’s BRT office to reinstate original route
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama
CEBU CITY, Philippines – While the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is yet to take off, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, once again, lobbied for the reinstatement of its original route.
Rama made this pronouncement when representatives of the Cebu BRT Management Office of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) gave updates on the P17- billion mass transport project during the city’s first Mobility Summit on Monday, September 26.
Rama told the audience at Monday’s event that the BRT should address high passenger demand in Barangays Bulacao and Talamban.
“Ibalik gyud nato na sa Bulacao. Mao na ang original. Bulacao all the way to… muabot niya (sa Talamban). And put a dedicated lane in Banilad,” said Rama.
The Cebu City Mobility Summit was held to discuss transportation and mobility issues in the city. It also included updates on proposals for public mass transportation such as the BRT.
The BRT, which was supposed to start implementation in 2016, has yet to start civil works for its depot, bus stops and stations, and dedicated lanes.
Recently, project proponents modified the BRT’s routes.
Instead of connecting Barangay Bulacao in the south, and Barangay Talamban in the north, they decided to shorten its route by linking IT Park in Barangay Apas to the South Road Properties (SRP).
Other stakeholders present at Monday’s mobility summit also expressed support for Rama’s calls to put the bus-based transport system back in its original route.
Commuters in Cebu City continue to struggle due to the lack of public transportation, authorities pointed out during the mobility summit.
The BRT was among the solutions conceptualized in the hopes of resolving this issue. Project proponents said they are expecting to start partial operations by the last quarter of 2023, and have full operations this 2025.
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