Local route plan around BRT done but still needs council approval

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Government has officially been awarded compliance for the Local Public Transportation Route Plan (LPTRP), which has long been awaited by the city.

However, it still needs the approval of the City Council before it can be implemented.

As reported by the official page of the Public Information Office of the Cebu City Government, the LTFRB-7 has officially awarded the Notice of Compliance to Mayor Nestor Archival. This awarding signifies the completion of the LPTRP yesterday, September 8.

In line with this, Archival thanked architect Anne Cuizon of the City Planning and Development Office, who headed the creation of the LPTRP.

The LPTRP is a plan detailing the route network, mode, and required number of units per mode for delivering land transport service, which shall be the minimum requirement prescribed for the issuance of PUV franchises.

In his message, Archival said he was told by LTFRB-7 regional director Eduardo Montealto that Cebu City could sell up to 100 vehicles per day, totaling 9,000 in just three months.

“So we can just imagine how many cars are actually travelling and plying on the streets of Cebu City. And we have problems of traffic. So with this (LPTRP), I think it will really be a big help,” said Archival.

The LPTRP has been approved by both the LTFRB and the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

Archival, however, said that this will have to go through the approval of the council first in the form of an ordinance.

He said the LPTRP is also a way of rationalizing the city’s traffic flow for public transportation, amidst the looming commencement of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project.

Through the LPTRP, the city could experience reduced traffic congestion and a more efficient transportation system.

In a separate interview yesterday, Councilor Winston Pepito, chairman of the Committee on Transportation, said he would most likely sponsor the legislative backing of the LPTRP.

He said the approval of the LPTRP had long been stalled but has now finally been secured. All they have to do now is sponsor it to make it an official ordinance.

The LPTRP includes changes to the routes of the city’s public transportation systems and is now aligned with the routes that the CBRT will traverse. As the dry run of the CBRT approaches on September 15, Pepito said the legislative backing may have to come later, as the process may also take time.

It was reported that then-Councilor James Anthony Cuenco, chairman of the Committee on Transportation of the Cebu City Council, said Cebu City was 80% ready for the implementation of the Nationwide Public Transportation Modernization Program. This was in August 2024.

But he said this couldn’t be done without the completion of the LPTRP, which remained pending since the CBRT routes had not yet been finalized.

Cuenco also previously said that one of the factors delaying the modernization implementation was the unimplemented LPTRP. He said it had not been completed due to uncertainties surrounding the BRT routes. — (FREEMAN)