Land, sea travel to resume in Negros Occidental on May 18

BACOLOD CIY: Land trips and sea travel will resume in Negros Occidental on Monday, May 18, but would follow strict measures to prevent travelers from acquiring the contagious coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

One of the city’s key bus lines, Vallacar Transit Inc., targets to resume its operations on Monday, but is still awaiting the final go-signal from the provincial and municipal governments.

Jade Seballos, media relations officer of Vallacar Transit Inc. operator of Ceres Bus Liner, confirmed that they would maintain that all their buses would only allow 50 percent of its usual sitting capacity to observe the proper physical distancing measure.

“Our president and chief executive officer, Leo Rey Yanson, wants to ensure the safety of all passengers. Necessary measures and strict policies will be implemented to help combat the coronavirus,” she added.

She added that Ceres buses will only cater to passengers at the terminal to ensure that all will undergo, hand wash, foot bath and thermal scanning and other precautionary measures.

“A passenger found to have a fever, or who has high temperature will not be allowed to board the bus,” Seballos said.

This means that buses won’t stop for passengers waiting on streets, she added.

Instead, Seballos said they will designate pick up points along the different routes where passengers will be required to sign a manifesto with their names, addresses and contact numbers for contact tracing.

For the safety of drivers, the driver’s side or the front area of the bus will be closed to passengers.

Drivers and conductors will be given personal essentials to protect themselves.

Also, passengers might expect an increase in fare as provided by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

The new fare matrix will be posted on each of the bus units.

However, trips to Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental and to Cebu are still suspended.

Seballos said that drivers and conductors will attend an orientation before the resumption of the trips.

On Thursday all bus units have been checked for road-worthiness and are ready to travel on Monday, she said.

Meanwhile, fastcrafts and roll-on, rolloff vessels will resume its trips starting this May 18, Lt. Commander Jansen Benjamin, Philippine Coast Guard ( PCG)- Negros Occidental chief, said.

“We will follow the guidelines set by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), wherein passenger capacity is limited to 50 percent only,” he said

Passenger trips that will return are the Bacolod-Iloilo and Bacolod- Dumangas; as well as the Pulupandan- Guimaras routes, Benjamin said

He added that trips to and from areas still under a modified enhanced community quarantine such as Cebu City, the National Capital Region, and Laguna province are still prohibited entry.

Benjamin said that other cities in the Cebu province might be allowed because they are under general quarantine, trips can be allowed to resume between Escalante, Sagay to Tabuelan and San Carlos-Toledo.

Air travel would still not resume until May 31.