SO THAT call center agents working the 9 p.m. shift can also avail themselves of the service, the Cebu City Government has moved the schedule of its free bus rides in the IT Park to an earlier time.
From the original 9 p.m. departure, the four buses, which will ferry Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) workers for free, will now leave at 8:30 p.m.
“We realized that there are workers whose shifts start at 9 p.m. The travel time from Barangay Mabolo to IT Park is only 30 minutes,” said City Call Center Program head Nanette Garong.
Although BPO workers are prioritized, each of the 25-seater buses will also ferry other commuters, provided that they wait in the designated bus stops.
Earlier, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said that starting in Mabolo, a small bus system will fetch BPO workers from pickup points and shuttle them to and from work.
The transportation plan is the City’s response to the murder of a 37-year-old call center agent after trying to fight off robbers in Mabolo.
Last Monday, Nov. 12, Garong said the buses were able to take nine trips and ferry at least 100 passengers.
She said a private firm has also expressed interest in operating in the routes set by the City to accommodate call center agents at a “minimal fare rate.”
Route 1 includes JM Del Mar Ave. and Geonzon St. as designated area for bus stops inside the IT Park. The bus will stop along JY Square, Cebu Provincial Capitol, Fuente Osmeña, Harrison Park, Abellana National School and vice versa.
For Route 2, the designated stops are along F. Cabahug Church, Mabolo Church, Hipodromo, T. Padilla, S. Osmeña St., corner Osmeña Blvd., Metro Colon and vice versa.
“During our meeting with BPO employees, they said it doesn’t matter if they pay the fare as long as they’re safe and they won’t be late,” Garong said. (RTF)