THE Department of Transportation has not yet approved Cebu City’s Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP), and the integration of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project is a factor in its delayed completion.
The City will not open new routes but establish extended routes and aim for inter-city transportation.
This information was divulged by Kent Francesco Jongoy, deputy chief of the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO), in SunStar Cebu’s online news program “Beyond the Headlines” on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.
Jongoy said they had observed that some routes of public utility jeepneys (PUJs) and public utility vehicles (PUVs) are going outside Cebu City.
“If you are going beyond the city, you might as well extend the routes. No more intra-city; all of it will be inter-cities,” said Jongoy in a mix of Cebuano and English.
Inter-city refers to travel between cities; intra-city is travel within the same city.
Adding more routes within the city would only result in more traffic congestion since, according to Jongoy.
The CCTO would push for inter-city routes because it is economically feasible.
This idea, he said, was already relayed to Eduardo Montealto Jr., director of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board 7.
LPTRP approval
As for the LPTRP, Jongoy is hopeful that the DOTr will approve it before the end of 2024.
He said that the LPTRP underwent five to six version changes to comply with LTFRB’s requests.
Jongoy cited the CBRT project as one of the reasons the LPTRP has not yet received approval. Once completed, the CBRT will determine which routes will be closed or opened.
The city’s pedestrianization program is another factor that affects the LPTRP.
Cebu City is set to implement a pedestrianization program aimed at enhancing the historic downtown area, known as the “Heritage Loop.” This initiative is part of a broader strategy to boost tourism, improve local business conditions, and address urban heat issues. The program is linked to the CBRT project, which aims to improve public transport connectivity.
Jongoy said they are eyeing to submit their feasibility studies on affected routes due to pedestrianization before the end of August. / JPS