CITY TO BUY BUSES TO FERRY THE PUBLIC

Last year, the Cebu City Government deployed 15 buses, most of which are several years old, to provide free transportation to commuters

The Cebu City Government will purchase 19 new buses worth P152 million.

The bids and awards committee (BAC) is scheduled to hold a bidding for the purchase of the buses on Tuesday, March 5.

Ronald Malacora, the BAC head, said two firms had already signified that they would join the bidding.

The buses will be used to augment the buses in use under the free transportation program that the City has implemented.

“We will deploy these buses to areas where there are many passengers who are having a hard time catching a ride during peak hours,” Malacora told SunStar Cebu.

Since last year, the City has been providing free rides to the public, particularly to business process outsourcing workers. The mayor wanted to ensure their safety, considering most of them work at night.

Malacora said this would be the first time for the City to purchase buses since most of the buses in use were donated.

“These buses are already several years old and maintenance is already high, but we will still deploy these buses aside from the new ones that we are about to buy,” he said.

There are 15 buses that are currently running.

Garbage compactors

Meanwhile, Malacora said five interested bidders have signified their interest to participate in the re-bidding for the purchase of P232.5 million worth of garbage compactor trucks.

Although the BAC already recommended awarding the contract to Hino Motors, Mayor Tomas Osmeña did not approve because he wanted more suppliers to participate in the bidding.

The new bidding will take place on March 12.

The City plans to purchase new compactor trucks to save on paying huge amounts in garbage hauling fees.