11/03/2020
Cebu on the rise...
DOTr: CEBU INTERIM BUS SERVICE STARTS OPERATIONS ON MARCH 16
The Cebu Interim Bus Service (CIBUS), a trunk service that will be used to augment the transport system in Cebu City until the completion of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) will start its operation on March 16.
Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade said the CIBUS is a precursor project that aims to mimic the BRT System, so as to allow Cebu commuters to readily adapt to the new culture of instilling predictability in their daily commute.
CIBUS will focus its operations initially in the south of Cebu and will be operating buses that will serve in preparation for the BRT’s operation. The Cebu BRT is scheduled for completion by end 2021.
The CIBUS will provide a new bus transport service on a new route: A direct route from Fuente Osmeña to the SRP (South Road Properties) area. The CIBUS will include 17 bus stops in a loop route between these two areas.
“After a long wait, the CIBUS will be operational. It will serve for the convenience of Cebu commuters until the Cebu BRT, which is designed to accommodate a larger passenger volume is established and is up and running,” said Secretary Tugade.
The BRT system is part of the DOTr’s Integrated Intermodal Transport System (IITS) for Metro Cebu. At present, the P17-billion World Bank-funded BRT is under review and validation of documents and Detailed Engineering Design (DED) by the on-board Technical Support Consultant (TSC). Once finished, the BRT will be fielding 250 buses with at least 21 stations. Timelines of the project include Phase 1 (Cebu South Bus Terminal to Capitol) for partial operations by December 2021 and Phase 2 (Bulacao/Talisay to Talamban) for partial operations by March 2022.
Once operational, the CIBUS will allow bus boarding and alighting at designated bus stops only with bus service frequency at no more than 10 minutes in between during peak hours.
In addition, the CIBUS also ensures a more comfortable and reliable public transport service to Cebu’s commuters.
The CIBUS will be deploying low floor/low entry, modern and air-conditioned buses with higher capacity.
Commissioning of the CIBUS service is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., the DOTr said.
The project is being supported by the Cebu City Government, the Provincial Government of Cebu and Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas.
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia expressed confidence that the project will help strengthen the flow of goods and people across the province through its bus deployment system.
“Until the BRT is completed, the CIBUS will be performing its major function to link the people of Cebu, and with it, the flow of commerce,” she said.
For his part, Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella also expressed his gratitude that a solution was quickly implemented to help address the public’s commuting woes, pending completion of the BRT.
“The CIBUS will be performing a critical function in linking Cebu City with the rest of the province through its fleet of buses until the BRT is completed to serve our commuters,” he said.
The same sentiments were echoed by Secretary Michael Dino who stressed the importance of an efficient bus system such as the BRT and the CIBUS to an island province such as Cebu.
“The BRT is the fundamental spine to the coordinated multi-purpose transport framework we are envisioning for Cebu. The CIBUS will be supporting that spine until the BRT is completed. This project is part of the Duterte administration’s drive to make the lives of each Filipino comfortable, especially in the area of public transportation,” said Dino.
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