THE Lapu-Lapu City Government is set to deploy their buses Tuesday, January 29, to ferry constituents who will be affected by the lack of jeeps plying in the city.
This as the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)-Central Visayas is set to conduct a Driver’s Academy seminar to 2,000 public utility jeep (PUJ) drivers in Lapu-Lapu City for the entire day on Tuesday.
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza said they will provide free rides to commuters for the entire day while PUJ drivers from the city are undergoing the seminar.
The seminar, which will be held at the Hoopsdome in Barangay Gun-ob, will start at 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
City-owned buses will be on standby in stations placed in different parts of the city.
“We have stations for those going to Punta Engaño, Babag, Marigondon and to the Mactan Circumferential Road,” Radaza said.
Radaza said that aside from city-owned buses, she is encouraging barangays to deploy their own buses and vehicles to help provide rides to commuters living in their areas.
Though the LTFRB-Central Visayas has yet to accede to her request for more buses to help affected commuters, Radaza said they have enough buses to assist residents living in her city in case no PUJs will be plying the streets.
Personnel from the Lapu-Lapu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office will also be deployed in the streets to help monitor areas in the city where commuters are affected by the lack of public transportation.
Police officers will also be onboard the city-owned buses to help provide security to commuters, Radaza said.
Though she heard that some drivers planned to hold a rally against the seminar, Radaza encouraged the rallying drivers to not hold their demonstrations outside the Hoopsdome to avoid disrupting the whole day activity.
Radaza also hopes that the seminar will conclude just before 5 p.m. so the drivers can still secure passengers at that hour.
But even if that happens, Radaza said she will still order the city-owned buses to continue collecting passengers to ensure that there are enough vehicles ferrying commuters to their respective destinations. (GCM of Superbalita Cebu)