Changes in jeepney routes mulled

Government officials will soon start discussing how to  restructure  inter-city routes of public utility jeepneys (PUJ) affected by the proposed Bus Rapid Transit project set for  2015.

Jeepneys  plying the 16-kilometer route of the modern mass transit system may have to find other routes.

Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Central Visayas director Ahmed Cuizon said he will be sitting down with Cebu City traffic officials to discuss the  change.

Cuizon, who also sits in the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) technical working group, said jeepneys will be removed from the  BRT route, which extends to  Bulacao in the south, N. Bacalso Avenue, Osmena Boulevard, Fuente Osmeña rotunda, N. Escario Street to barangay Talamban.

“If the BRT is already operating,  the PUJs will service passengers going to and from the BRT stations,” he told Cebu Daily News.

Cuizon said another concern is how the BRT will affect  the Cebu South Bus Terminal because the site is  identified as one of the  BRT bus stops.

In earlier forums, BRT consultant Colin Brader would answer fears about the loss of livelihood for  jeepney drivers by saying PUJ routes would be “complemented” by the BRT and some “rerouting” and “refranchising” would happen.

He said “the aim is to ensure work for all those displaced” and that “the BRT will result in a net increase in jobs.”

Meanwhile, the total project cost of the BRT would $211 million according to the just concluded feasibility study. In the pre-feasibility study, the project cost was estimated at $185 million.

But this should not pose a problem because the World Bank has committed to fund the project said  Rafael Yap, head of the project coordination unit and also executive director of the Cebu Integrated Traffic Operation Management (Citom).

“Money is not an issue. The main issue here is the success of the project,” said Yap.

The Cebu City Council approved last Aug. 29 session the final draft of the BRT feasibility study. Yap said this will be presented to World Bank officials who will visit  the Philippines next month to assess the city’s technical and political preparedness to adopt the BRT system.

After approval, funding will be discussed.

The BRT is listed in President Aquino’s priorities for Private-Public Partnership which means a national government loan from the World Bank would be given high attention.

The  Department of Transportation and Communication will act as project implementor in coordination with the city government.

“The national government will be signatory to the loan. There will be no fund exposure from the Cebu city government’s end,”  said Yap.

Yap said that national government will shouder the loan since they don’t expect to recover from the cost of the project’s infrastructure component.

Revenue from the BRT operation which is expected to start operate in the last quarter of 2015 will mostly go to  maintenance and the operational costs. Doris C. Bongcac, Chief of Reporters