QC institutionalizes free bus ride program
MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has signed an ordinance effectively systematizing the city’s free bus ride program.
“I am grateful to Mayor Joy and my colleagues in the City Council for approving Ordinance No. SP-3184, S-2023,” said Councilor Alfred Vargas in a statement on Tuesday.
According to Vargas, the said ordinance guarantees the sustainability of the “Q City Bus Program.”
It mandates the Quezon City Traffic and Transportation Management Department to implement the program, which will be maintained by an annual appropriation from the City Council.
“Everyone deserves a comfortable travel to work or school, one that values their time and well-being. This is what we envision with our ordinance,” Vargas said.
According to Vargas, the Q City Bus program has so provided 12 million free rides in its eight routes.
He cited the program’s socio-economic impact as the residents can utilize their savings from the free bus rides for food, electricity, or other basic necessities.
The program was initiated by Mayor Belmonte at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and its institutionalization is a joint priority of the city’s executive and legislative departments.
