A TOTAL of 182 air-conditioned public utility buses (PUBs) have stopped operating in Cebu since the whole island was placed under a stricter community quarantine status to curb the rise in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 7 said.
Affected are 66 buses that ply the northern route and 116 buses that ply the southern route, said LTFRB 7 Director Eduardo Montealto Jr.
These include air-conditioned buses that travel to Daanbantayan in the north and Santander in the south, he said.
The tri-cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu are under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), the second most stringent quarantine level, while Cebu Province is under general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions until Aug. 15.
Montealto did not have the estimated number of public utility vehicles (PUVs) that continue to operate in Cebu, but he assured the public that there are enough units to cater to commuters.
He said majority of PUBs operating in Cebu are non air-conditioned units.
The LTFRB 7, in previous issuances, emphasized the importance of proper ventilation to curb the highly transmissible delta variant of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
Montealto earlier said the number of PUVs that would get a special permit to operate during this period would depend on passenger demand.
“There is reduction (in passenger demand), but negligible in number because everybody needs to work for a living. This few number is only from the closed establishments (those that are not allowed to operate under MECQ and GCQ),” he said.
Montealto said that to meet passenger demand and compensate for the number of PUBs that stopped operating, they’ve extended the operation time of non-air conditioned PUBs from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and even to midnight to serve authorized persons outside residence who are exempted from the 10 p.m. curfew.
“Pero naay uban nga mga air-conditioned units nga short distance nga pwede maabrihan ang rear windows, allowed sila from Friday to Monday,” he said.
(Some air-conditioned units that serve short distances have been allowed to operate from Friday to Monday as long as they open their rear windows.)
Montealto said these include air-conditioned buses that go to Liloan in the north and the City of Naga in the south. (WBS)