‘Metro Cebu has oversupply of PUJs’

The overpopulation of passenger jeepneys in the streets of Metro Cebu has caused more traffic violations because of strict competition for passengers.

Engr. Nabor Gaviola of the Department of Transportation and Communication gave this assessment after a study to address the transport problem in Metro Cebu was done by the agency.

He said there’s a need to standardize mass transportation in Metro Cebu to provide convenience for the passengers.

The study was done based on the results of DOTC’s survey of households, passenger interviews, traffic volume count, driver interviews, road inventory and travel time.

Gaviola, who is also a consultant of the Transport and Traffic Planner Inc., said the overpopulation of jeepneys had cut the load factor to only 40 percent.

According to the DOTC study, the ideal load factor for jeepneys is 60 percent.

The survey showed that Metro Cebu had 147 and 126 of these routes operate within the urban core or the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay area.

Gaviola said not only would the oversupply of jeepneys in the street cut the load factor of jeepneys,  it would also cause more air pollution.

The study was part of the DOTC’s project to come up with possible transportation solution that would be sustainable for Cebu.

It was presented to the Metro Cebu Development Coordinating Board (MCDCB) last week.

The transport system will integrate the Bus Rapid Transport with an improved bus system.

It will include a transport heirarchy with high capacity vehicles like railway or rapid bus, passenger buses with medium loading capacity and passenger jeepneys with low volume capacity.

He said the DOTC would afterwards conduct a feasibility study of the transport plan so that it would be fully recommended in Cebu.

The DOTC said it was willing to share its transport study to be incorporated by the MCDCB to its Mega Cities master plan./Reporter Candeze R. Mongaya