IT’S unfair.
This was the reaction of Julie Flores, vice mayor-elect of the southern town of Barili, Cebu and chairman of the Cebu Provincial Operators Transport Cooperative, to the plan of the Cebu City Transportation Office (CTO) not to allow buses and mini buses to use the underpass on N. Bacalso Ave. in Barangay Mambaling, which will be opened to the public on June 15, 2019.
Before it makes its final decision, Flores said the CTO should consult motorists and operators of buses and mini buses that ply the southern route.
“It’s not only unfair to us, but also unfair to the passengers. Why? They were made to suffer during the construction of the underpass since they couldn’t disembark on the national highway as public utility buses (PUBs) were directed to the Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR),” he told Superbalita Cebu in Cebuano last Sunday, June 9.
He said he felt bad for passengers traveling from the south who live in Bulacao, Poblacion Pardo, Basak and Mambaling since they have been forced to disembark right before the entrance of the CSCR in Barangay Lawaan 1 in Talisay City to catch a multicab to take them to their final destinations.
Francisco Ouano, operations chief of CTO, said they understood the plight of passengers and operators of buses and mini buses, but they wanted to decongest traffic on the southern highway by dividing vehicles that use N. Bacalso Ave. and the CSCR.
Based on their observations, traffic in the vicinity of the underpass gets really bad, especially during peak hours starting at 7 a.m. until 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. until 8 p.m.
The 700-meter underpass starts from Tabada St. to the corner of the Rama Compound in Barangay Basak San Nicolas. It has two lanes, one southbound and one northbound.
If they allowed PUBs and mini buses to return to N. Bacalso Ave., traffic in the area will only get worse, Ouano said.
“We’ve seen how bad traffic is there without the buses and the mini buses. We understand their lament, but the issue is not one-sided. We have to consider the traffic,” he said in Cebuano.
According to Flores, up to 150 PUBs and 120 mini buses that ply the southern route from the Cebu South Bus Terminal will be affected.
Flores did not take kindly to the suggestion of reelected Councilor David Tumulak that only buses of KMK Bus Transit, MyBus of Metro Rapid Transit Services Inc. and Beeps of Persano Corp. would be allowed to use the underpass along with private vehicles.
“Why do they distinguish? If they’re going to allow buses on N. Bacalso Ave. then all buses should be allowed and not just a chosen few. Everyone who used to traverse the highway before the construction of the underpass should be allowed to return. We were diverted to the south coastal road because of the construction. Now that it is finished, we can’t go back to our old route?” Flores lamented.
But Ouano pointed out that KMK, Metro Rapid and Persano don’t field that many buses on the streets.
He also said that PUBs are supposed to operate “point-to-point,” meaning they carry passengers from one place to the next without stopping or changing.
Flores said they hope to meet with mayor-elect Edgardo Labello to ask the latter to reconsider the CTO’s plans.
Ouano clarified that their role is to come up with recommendations to the mayor. The final decision rests with the mayor, he said.
“For us, we’re just looking for a solution to the traffic problem in the area. Plus, we’ve seen so many abusive PUB drivers,” Ouano said.
Buses and mini buses were diverted to the CSCR when construction of the underpass started in August 2017. Other vehicles, including public utility jeepneys, were allowed to pass Ganciang, Tagunol, Caimito and F. Llamas Streets, among others, to decongest traffic on N. Bacalso Ave. (FROM SCG OF SUPERBALITA / PJB)