THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has greenlighted the ratification of Cebu City’s Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) to pave the way for the modernization of the city’s public transportation route.
The LPTRP is a comprehensive strategy that rationalizes public land transport routes within a city or municipality. It details the route network, the type of vehicles to be used, such as the public utility jeepney (PUJ) and public utility vehicles (PUV) or modern jeepney routes, and the number of units required for each route.
The LPTRP aims to create a more systematic and predictable public transportation system, moving away from the old, unregulated “boundary system” for jeepney drivers.
Routes
On Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, LTFRB issued the Notice of Compliance to Cebu City’s LPTRP, confirming that the city’s plan is consistent with national transport guidelines and policies.
The city’s LPTRP had been “in limbo” since 2020 due to various revisions and pending completion of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project.
This formal compliance notice indicates that the city’s plan is now officially recognized and ready for implementation, as the LPTRP is in line with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) Department Order 2023-022 and the DOTr-DILG-LTFRB Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 002 Series of 2024.
The newly rationalized routes for PUJ Class 2 vehicles are the following: Sambag I /SWU to Downtown (6.5 km route with 25 authorized units), Labangon to Downtown (7.7 km route with 40 units),
Labangon to North Reclamation via Ayala (9.8 km route with 50 units), Guadalupe Church to Downtown (6.0 km route with 30 units), Guadalupe Church to North Reclamation (6.8 km route with 30 units),
Banawa to Downtown (6.1 km route with 30 units), Oprra to Downtown (5.6 km route with 20 units), and Bulacao St. Jude to Downtown (8.1 km route with 50 units).
PUJ Class 2
Meanwhile, there are additional new or development routes for PUJ Class 2 vehicles, which include the following: Guadalupe Central Loop 1 Clockwise (7.5 km route with 15 units), Guadalupe Central Loop 2 Counter Clockwise (7.3 km route with 15 units), Mabolo Central Loop 1 Clockwise (10 km route with 15 units), Mabolo Central Loop 2 Counter Clockwise (10.4 km route with 15 units), Port Area Central Loop 2 Counter Clockwise (7 km route with 15 units), Port Area Central Loop 1 Clockwise (6.6 km route with 15 units), Sambag I (SWU) to Basak Pardo (6.1 km route with 15 units), Guadalupe Church to Labangon Loop 1 Clockwise (8.6 km route with 15 units),
Guadalupe Church to Labangon Loop 2 Clockwise (9.2 km route with 15 units),
Labangon to Port Area Loop 1 Clockwise (12 km route with 20 units), Labangon to Port Area Loop 2 Counter clockwise (12 km route with 20 units), and Banawa to North Reclamation (8.4 km route with 15 units).
PUJ Class 2 vehicles can accommodate 22 seated passengers and additional standing passengers. It is a key component of the Public Transportation Modernization Program (PTMP).
With the approval, the LTFRB has directed the Cebu City government to pass a local ordinance formally adopting the LPTRP.
Once the ordinance is passed, it will give the plan legal force, enabling the LTFRB to begin the process of issuing new franchises and consolidating existing ones based on the rationalized routes.
For commuters, this should eventually lead to more organized routes, fixed stops, and a more reliable public transport experience.
LTFRB-7 Director Eduardo Montealto, on March 8, said 3,000 jeepney drivers in Cebu will be “displaced” due to the revision of the LPTRP. These drivers will be rerouted to be incorporated into the CBRT.
Mayor Nestor Archival wrote on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, that the compliance notice was “a big step forward” to ease traffic and build a smarter, more sustainable transport system for the city.
CBRT’s package one traverses Cebu South Bus Terminal along N. Bacalso Ave. in Cebu City to the front of the Capitol building along Osmeña Blvd. Majority of the new routes do not traverse the existing CBRT route.
On Friday, Sept. 5, Archival, along with Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña, the brain behind CBRT, met with the stakeholders in preparation for the project’s full implementation. Archival pushed for the start of the project’s dry run by Sept. 15. / EHP