AIR purifiers should be used by drivers and conductors of public utility vehicles (PUVs) in Cebu Province and Cebu City.
This is required under Executive Order No. 35-D issued by Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, on top of the 75 percent seating capacity, one-seat-apart arrangement of passengers and non-use of air-conditioning units in PUVs.
This was agreed upon by the Cebu Provincial officials, Cebu City officials, Philippine National Police, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and bus operators during their coordination meeting on Aug. 12, 2021.
Garcia gave an ultimatum to bus and minibus operators to procure air purifiers for their drivers and conductors until Aug. 16, 2021.
“Transmission happens in the air, so if we could purify the air around us, it really helps,” Garcia said.
In the meeting, the officials also agreed that PUVs shall be impounded by the Cebu City Transportation Office if they do not pass through the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) and Cebu North Bus Terminal (CNBT).
Garcia reiterated that all PUVs required to pass through the terminals will undergo inspection of health measures, seating capacity and the trip ticket on Saturday, Aug. 14.
Trip tickets for PUVs from the CNBT have an expiry date to avoid duplication. Only those PUVs from Cebu City are required to get a trip ticket when going to their destinations in the province.
From Aug. 7 to 11, the authorities reported that most of the violators were taxis with no proper ventilation and/or no trip ticket and buses for overloading and operating with no trip ticket from the checkpoints put up by the Cebu Police Provincial Office in the north and south of Cebu.
As of press time, there are 660 buses registered in the CSBT and CNBT. And 3,600 trip tickets have been issued to PUVs averaging 400 trip tickets from CSBT and 100 from NSBT. (MVE)