CSBT offers free ride to priority passengers

Free bus rides from the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) and vice versa can be enjoyed by the stranded priority passengers to select cities and towns starting yesterday.

Persons with disability (PWD), senior citizens, pregnant, and passengers with infants up to five years old are considered as priority passengers.

Three hundred buses will ferry the passengers from CSBT.

If the priority passengers cannot take a ride after at least three hours due to lack of buses, the augmentation buses from the southern local government units (LGU) will come in.

Carcar City and Dumanjug town have provided at least three bus units each to ferry their constituents who will travel home starting on October 31 and November 2.

On Sunday, the buses will also ferry passengers for free from the city or town to CSBT.

CSBT Manager Jonathan Tumulak said that Carcar City citizens will need to present their purok cards. For the other LGUs, there were no instructions for the passengers to present any identification.

He discussed that the buses will have no stops along the way. The only drop-off and pickup point is the municipal hall and CSBT, respectively.

Aside from the two LGUs, eight more towns also responded to the request of bus augmentation. These include Naga, San Fernando, Barili, Alegria, Oslob, Ginatilan, and Boljoon.

This is just one of the augmentation and security measures in place as the CSBT expects a rise in the number of passengers this year due to the long weekend.

From the 266,000 passengers last year, the management is expecting the number to balloon to 300,000 by November 2.

The peak of the season started yesterday up to today.

On security matters, police officers were doubled but the specific number is undisclosed.

On top of the regular security personnel, 20 blue guards and 15 civil security unit guards were deployed. Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) were also deployed.

Tumulak said that the vendors and the CSBT personnel have been warned not to accept if there are passengers who request to leave their baggage even if they promise to pick it up on a later time.

“Bawal ipamilin ang mga butang. Ang mga kargamento nga isulod kana ra nga ilarga dayon within the day, dili pwede kung ugma pa,” he said.

Also, about 110 Capitol employees are also temporarily detailed at the terminal to assist the passengers.

Medical teams are also stationed in strategic areas which offer free medical assistance to passengers who do not feel well.

Outside the terminal, members of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) are to check if the buses are compliant.

Meanwhile, Tumulak said that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is yet to give him the official report after the drug test conducted three days ago.

He said that having drug-free drivers is an important factor as well as roadworthiness of the buses to ensure that the passengers will be ferried safely.

He added that the bus operators have also agreed that each driver will only have to travel for a maximum of three trips a day so they can get enough rest.

In terms of overcharging, Tumulak urged the passengers to keep their receipts and take photos/videos and report it to the CSBT management.