Introduction of mass transportation in Metro Cebu gets mixed reviews
A taxi driver is afraid that it will compete with his livelihood and lower his income while a commuter welcomes the arrival of a convenient transport that is “affordable, fast and safe”
IF IT were up to him, Judy Ruiz does not want Cebu City to have a mass transport system.
Its introduction will only lower the daily income of taxi drivers like him, he said, because the system will pose as their direct competition.
“It’s better if we don’t have much competition so we can pick up enough passengers. That way, we can afford to pay the rent of our unit,” he said in Cebuano.
The rent for his taxi alone is P1,200 a day, Ruiz said. On top of that, he also needs to pay for gasoline. What’s left of his earnings is what he takes home as income.
Sufficient
The 48-year-old believes there are enough taxis that cater to passengers in Metro Cebu, particularly Cebu City.
Last Wednesday, a fivecoach hybrid train arrived in the city for a test run, but the City Government is not certain yet on using it pending a route plan.
The mass transport conveyor is a project of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
The City will help DOST in the field testing of the hybrid train and market it to possible local manufacturers and suppliers, said lawyer Rafael Christopher Yap of the Cebu City Transportation Office.
For Ryss Marie Cabando, who commutes every day from her house in Talisay City to Cebu City, a mass transport like the hybrid bus is good news.
She said that as commuter, she prefers having a convenient transport that is affordable, fast and safe.
Need for upgrade
“We need to upgrade our transportation industry. It must provide better service for the commuters,” she said.
Among the routes that are being considered for the hybrid train is Talisay City to Cebu City and vice versa.
Cabando said any mass transport that will be introduced in Cebu will ease road congestion caused by private cars.
“It was reported already that new cars are the top contributors of traffic, so I think if the government will provide a better option for mass transport, owners of these cars will most likely avail themselves of it,” she said.