60 buses for Sinulog passengers

CEBU, Philippines - People who will be stranded after the holding of the Sinulog on Sunday night will be ferried back to their respective places by 60 buses that will be fielded by the Cebu Provincial Bus Operators Association.

City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM) Chairman Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem said it was agreed during their meeting yesterday that 30 buses would be fielded for the residents of Cebu City’s southern areas and the same number of buses will also serve those in the north.

Jakosalem met with the representatives of Ceres Bus, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and bus operators because he observed the difficulties experienced by people every after the Sinulog event because of lack of vehicles.

According to Jakosalem, it was agreed that the passengers will be required to pay P10 for every ride depending on the destination.

Buses that will transport stranded passengers for the south areas of the city will be stationed in front of the Cebu Provincial Terminal, while buses that will serve the residents of the north areas will be stationed at Imus Avenue corner Sikatuna Street.

The LTFRB will issue special permits allowing these buses to ply in the north and south areas of the city for the special occasion.

Jakosalem explained that the buses will be stationed in areas where they can easily move because the roads within the vicinity of Cebu City Sports Center would still be occupied by hundreds of people.

The Land Transportation Office and its deputized agents, the members of Task Force Alpha (TFA), would also be deployed to augment in CITOM traffic enforcers in maintaining order in roads after the Sinulog event.

Jakosalem, however, asked the public to be patient if traffic congestion will be experienced on Sunday after the Sinulog mardigras. (FREEMAN)