• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Public utility jeepneys (PUJs) will soon serve residents in the Abada Escay and Arao relocation site of Bacolod, after the city’s Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) Committee approved developmental routes to and from Vista Alegre and Cabug.
The Committee, chaired by Mayor Alfredo Benitez, approved the recommended 15 units for Vista Alegre to Burgos Point to Point (P2P), five units for the Vista Alegre Barangay Hall to Libertad Loop, and seven for the Cabug (Deca Homes) to Libertad Loop.
The housing project relocation site, located at Abada Escay and Arao, needs PUJ transportation from Vista Alegre to Burgos P2P, and from Vista Alegre Barangay Hall to Libertad Loop, the Committee said in Resolution No. 02, series of 2024.
“Barangay Cabug also needs jeepney transportation from Deca Homes to Libertad Loop,” added the resolution, ratified by the Sangguniang Panlungsod March 14.
The Committee also passed a resolution endorsing the extension routes for Homesite to Central Market Loop to South Capitol Road, from Gatuslao Street to San Juan Street; Eroreco to Central Market Loop to South Capitol Road, from Gatuslao to Lacson Street; and Fortune Towne/Estefania to South Capitol Road, from Gatuslao to San Juan Street.
Resolution No. 3-2024 noted that with the operation of the Bacolod Express Service Office (BESO) at the Ayala Malls Capitol Central, there is a need for more jeepneys to serve constituents.
The mall management posted March 18 that BESO is now open daily, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the 3rd floor.
At present, only air-conditioned jeepneys from south barangays Tangub and Singcang-Airport are passing through the mall, in addition to modern and traditional jeepneys plying the Mandalagan-Libertad, Bata-Libertad, and Banago-Libertad routes.
Councilor Al Victor Espino, chairperson of the SP Committee on Transport and Traffic, earlier said there is need for a dry run to determine the actual route extension feasibility, taking into account population density, transportation demand, and accessibility.
Meanwhile, the LPTRP Committee also adopted and endorsed the participatory action research “The Bacolod City Simulation Exercise (Simex)” and updated the city’s LPTRP.
The Simex was held June 25-27, 2023 using the Safe Travel PH mobile application, and results recommended additional units for existing routes.
As per City Ordinance 966, or the LPTRP of Bacolod, there are 1,099 approved units for 24 rationalized routes, in line with the government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program. | CGC
