WB to fund Cebu bus rapid transit project

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang has welcomed a decision of the World Bank to provide the Philippines with a $141-million financial package for a key transportation project in Cebu City.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the Cebu bus rapid transit project would benefit hundreds of thousands of passengers.

Coloma said the bus rapid transit would provide a fast, reliable, safe and climate-friendly transportation system in Cebu.

“More than 300,000 passengers are expected to benefit daily from the project, which seeks to reduce pollution and ensure the safety and convenience of the riding public,” he added.

The Philippine government will provide a counterpart financing worth $87.5 million for the project.

The project will start from the village of Bulacao to Talamban and includes transit ways, stations, terminals, a depot and other facilities.

The World Bank said the transport system would reduce pollution and increase travel safety.

“Like trains, the bus rapid transit runs on its own dedicated lanes. And unlike trains that run on rails, it uses buses, making the system simpler and cheaper to construct, operate, and maintain,” the World Bank said in a statement.

The project will also involve the installation of a state-of-the-art computerized traffic management system to ensure a smoother traffic flow.

Improvements will be made to integrate the bus rapid transit with other modes of transport.

The bus rapid transit is pioneered by the Brazilians in Curitiba in 1974 and is being operated or developed in over 150 cities worldwide.

“The World Bank is supporting this project because we believe its impact is going to be far-reaching and transformational not only for Cebu but for the country,” World Bank country director Motoo Konishi said.