Hassle to the public: Drivers keeping off the streets today to protest vs SM buses

CEBU, Philippines - Protesting against a future competition, public utility drivers are not ferrying passengers today, as they instead prefer to hold a rally outside the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-7.

To attend to the affected commuters, the Cebu City Transportations Office said it would deploy Kaohsiung buses to offset the lack of transportation.

The drivers are protesting the granting of a franchise to 77 buses of the Metro Rapid Transport System Inc., a joint venture of SM Holdings and JAM Liner bus company, which currently serves Metro Manila and Southern Luzon, plying Talisay City-Mandaue City-Lapulapu City routes.

Cebu South Mini-Bus Operators Association president Julieto Flores said that aside from them staging a protest, other transport organizations will file their respective oppositions on the franchise application.

Aside from CSMBOA, the Cebu Provincial Bus Operators Association, Mandaue United Drivers Association, Metro Cebu Taxi Operators Association, the Cebu Integrated Transport Cooperative, the Visayas United Drivers Transport Cooperative are among those that will submit their position papers.

“Kaning 77 ka mga buses kung aprubahan ni sa LTFRB ang franchise, di lang kay daghan makulban sa kaldero ani kundi makulban gyud og kawa,” Flores earlier said.

Flores said that he already informed CCTO about their protest rally at the LTFRB-7 located along J. Briones Street, which would be followed by a short program in SM City Cebu.

“Kay inig hearing sa application sa SM, daghang mga drivers ang manghunong og posible naay gyud traffic sa maong dapit,” Flores said.

 CCTO Operations Chief Jonathan Tumulak said they have readied Kaohsiung buses just in case they are need.

“We will exercise maximum tolerance and man traffic in the area in case other drivers and passengers will be inconvenienced by the protest,” he said.

Tumulak said that in case of rerouting, affected vehicles passing J. Briones Street will be rerouted to Sergio Osmena Street and Andres Street.

Flores has called on all public utility drivers to unite against the operation of the 77 buses.

Militant transport group Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide-Cebu also opposed the said franchise application.

Rey Elnar, LTFRB-7 director, earlier said that based on the MRTSI application, the 77 buses will operate in various routes.

He said that of the 77 units, 36 will ply the Cebu North Bus Terminal (in Mandaue City) to SM Seaside at the South Road Properties  via Mambaling and vice versa, with an applied fare of P25.

Twenty two units, on the other hand, will travel the Talisay City-CNBT route and vice versa for a fare of P40; 11 units will proceed from Talisay City to SM Seaside and vice versa for a fare of P25; while eight units would travel from Talisay to the Mactan Cebu International Airport in Lapulapu City and vice versa for a fare of P75.

With a capacity of 60-70 passengers, each of the buses cost P8 million to P12 million each. They are considered as high quality public transport system and are Bus Rapid Transit mass transport system-ready.  (FREEMAN)