Ceres bus party to affect 25,000

EXPECT fewer buses, take extra caution, and travel early.

THIS is the advice of Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) chief Albert Herrera to an estimated 25,000 passengers who are expected to be affected by the absence of Ceres buses over the weekend.

Ceres Bus will have the company’s Christmas party on Saturday.

“You can just imagine that without any Ceres bus, there’s a possibility that we will run out of buses and the passengers will be stranded. This would be very difficult. So we are advising the public to be extra vigilant and careful also with their belongings as Saturday is pay day week,” he told reporters in an interview yesterday.

Herrera, who met with Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña for a business meeting yesterday, said that the 40 Ceres buses can make about 550 trips a day, transporting a total of 25,000 passengers.

While some Ceres Bus drivers may decide not to join the party and just claim their Christmas incentives, he said they are anticipating that only 10 Ceres buses or fewer will be running on Saturday.

As part of its preparations, CSBT is requesting the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board 7 to check on the situation and tap other bus companies who can provide special trips for the weekend.

This way, the riding public will not be inconvenienced and can still go on with their trip plans.

As for security, Herrera said they’ve been on high alert since the country was placed under terror alert level three by Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa last Dec. 1.

“We have an open-bag policy when entering the terminal and the K9 units sent by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 7 are on standby. Our closed circuit television operators have a standing order to be vigilant, especially with bags left behind,” he said.

Herrera said the terminal’s security will be tighter on the coming days as more passengers are expected to arrive on the 22nd and 23rd.