COMMUNITY Optimized Managed Electric Transport (Comet) electric buses may soon ply in Consolacion town, northern Cebu once the municipal government's plan to deploy the environment-friendly vehicles pushes through.
Elizar Sabinay, program coordinator of Cebu Leads Foundation Inc., told SunStar Cebu on Thursday, July 21, 2022, that they had partnered with Global Electric Transport (GET) Philippines and coordinated with the Consolacion municipal government on the idea of rolling out Comet buses in the town.
GET Philippines, the manufacturer of the Comet buses, has been partnering with several organizations and local government units (LGUs) in the country to provide a mode of transportation that would not compromise the environment through its eco-friendly buses.
Comet bus is powered by lithium-ion batteries which are rechargeable, with each fully-charged battery can travel up to 100 kilometers. The bus does not emit smoke, thus reducing carbon dioxide emissions, said Sabinay.
Sabinay said this project also supports the Mega Cebu Vision 2050, which aims for Metro Cebu to be sustainable, resilient, and modernized.
Sabinay said they had presented the plan to the municipal government led by Consolacion Mayor Teresa "Nene" Alegado on Wednesday, July 20, and the negotiations for its implementation in the town is still going on.
He added that they are going to have a public dry run with one of its bus units in Consolacion, but he could not yet confirm when.
If the plan pushes through, Alegado said the buses would particularly transport the municipal employees and the vulnerable ones such as the senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs).
The 30-seater, fully air-conditioned electric bus would observe a cashless payment wherein passengers would be advised to download the GETPASS app through their smartphones and scan a quick response (QR) code.
The routes would possibly cover Consolacion to Cebu City and vice versa, and it is also expected to have a lesser fare than the regular buses.
Currently, the buses can already be seen transporting business process outsourcing (BPO) employees in Cebu City routes such as Cebu IT Park, Shopwise Mambaling, and Mactan Route in Gaisano Grand Mall through a partnership with another private firm.
These buses are also operating in some areas in the National Capital Region and in some countries such as Spain, China, and Japan. (HIC)