Monday, June 16, 2008 Mini-buses ban in south depot moves forward
THE proposal to ban mini-buses from the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) is nearing realization, after the Cebu City Council last week approved the report of the committee on traffic management.
The committee suggested the crafting of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR), and the designation or creation of an agency to implement it.
Once Cebu City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem incorporates the recommendations in his proposal, the measure will be discussed in a public hearing.
Jakosalem wanted mini-bus operators to use other accredited terminals intended for vans-for-hire and public utility jeepneys (PUJs) in the south.
The ordinance defines mini-buses as those that have a seating capacity of 30 to 49 passengers, excluding the driver and conductor.
He also sought to impose penalties ranging from P1,500 to P4,500 for violators of the ordinance, and the impounding of vehicles after the third and subsequent offenses.
He proposed to amend City Ordinance 1784 passed in 1999, which required all public utility buses, including mini-buses, to load and unload passengers at the CSBT.
The presence of mini-buses at the CSBT contributes to the worsening traffic congestion within and outside the bus terminal and along N. Bacalso Ave.
Three bus companies have already complained to the City Traffic Operations Management, saying their units have difficulty going in and out of the terminal.
Another solution Jako-salem recommended is to allow bus operators to own and operate their exclusive terminals, subject to restrictions and conditions of the City’s terminal accreditation body.
The CSBT is owned and operated by the Cebu Provincial Government.
Capitol consultant Rory John Sepulveda last month criticized Jako-salem’s proposal, saying the move will not solve worsening traffic along N. Bacalso Ave.
If approved, the ordinance is seen to affect the income the Capitol gets from terminal operations, specifically its collections from mini-bus operators.
Sepulveda has said that although the Capitol respects the City Govern-ment’s initiative to decongest its roads, “limiting access to the bus terminal is not the solution, if traffic is really the concern.”
“The solution would be the implementation of basic traffic rules and laws,” he had said.
In the report presented by City Councilor Raul Alcoseba, committee chairman, the council suggested that Jakosalem’s ordinance contain the IRR for the establishment of other terminals, as well as for the loading and unloading activities of mini-buses outside the CSBT. (RHM)
