TO ACCOMMODATE the ongoing civil works of a rapid bus system in Cebu City and achieve the goal of installing an integrated multi-modal terminal in the city, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia has agreed with Mayor Michael Rama who suggested transferring the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) from its current location to the South Road Properties or any location fitting for a terminal.
“I really agree with Mayor Mike that pretty soon, the South Bus Terminal must be transferred. But our vision is integrating both north and south terminals at the SRP because the SRP is right there at the center,” Garcia said in a report posted on the website of Sugbo News, Capitol’s media arm, on Tuesday, on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.
The CSBT is currently located along N. Bacalso Ave., a portion of which is part of the route of Cebu Bus Rapid Transit’s (CBRT) Package 1, which covers a distance of 2.38 kilometers from CSBT to the front of the Capitol building along Osmeña Blvd.
The Cebu North Bus Terminal is located in the parking area of SM City Cebu in Barangay Mabolo.
In an interview with reporters Tuesday, Rama said the transfer would help ease the traffic along N. Bacalso Ave. The closure of the road’s inner lanes since the last week of September has caused traffic jams during rush hour.
Rama said CSBT’s current location will not be conducive for buses traveling to municipalities in southern and southwestern Cebu because there will be more buses in the city streets after CBRT is completed.
The governor said the Capitol is eyeing to construct an integrated terminal near the seawaters at the SRP because it will house a terminal for public utility vehicles and a port for water taxis and ferries.
SunStar Cebu reported in July 2022 that the Provincial Government intends to construct an integrated bus terminal for the north and south, a jeepney terminal and a sea ferry terminal on a 2.5-hectare lot at the SRP.
This was Garcia’s plan if the 93-1 land swap negotiation between the Capitol and the Cebu City Government pushes through.
However, the deal is still incomplete to this day.
The idea of transferring the CSBT to SRP was first raised by Rama in 2015, with then governor Hilario Davide III suggesting moving the bus terminal to a private lot near the SRP, particularly beside a university.
Rama later proposed to transfer CSBT to either in the town of Minglanilla or to Talisay City.