MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is set to implement a bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Cebu City that could also be implemented in other parts of the country particularly in the metropolis.
Transport Secretary Mar Roxas said the system would be patterned after Bogota in Colombia, Curitiba in Brazil, Seoul in South Korea and Guangzhou, China.
“This BRT system would be the first of its kind in the Philippines,” Roxas stressed.
The Cebu BRT is a transport system with around 176 buses that would run through dedicated and exclusive bus-ways from Bulacao to Talamban in Cebu, with a link to Cebu’s South Road Property.
The DOTC chief pointed out that the system would serve an estimated 330,000 passengers per day when it starts operations in 2015.
The buses would also traverse Cebu City’s business districts, residential areas, shopping centers and key tourist sites.
Roxas explained that the system would have 33 stations along the corridor, with buses arriving at each station every two minutes to five minutes.
In cooperation with the Cebu City government, he added that the DOTC intends to develop and construct the BRT system.
According to Roxas, the DOTC intends to apply for financing from the World Bank in part for the cost of the Cebu BRT System.
The agency also intends to apply part of the proceeds of the loan for the consulting services.
The DOTC’s Bids and Awards Committee is inviting international and local consultancy firms to indicate their interest in providing consultancy services to the project.
The first phase would involve detailed engineering design and preparation of bidding documents for the engineering, structural, civil, architectural, electrical and mechanical design.
On the other hand, the second phase covers the supervision of the transit way and the supporting infrastructure during the construction.
The Cebu BRT is part of the Aquino government’s aim of providing convenient, affordable, reliable, efficient, and safe transport system in the country.