BRT system to absorb "best" PUJ drivers

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Bus Rapid Transit lead consultant Colin Brader assured the Public Utility Jeepney drivers that many of them will be absorbed into the BRT system once it is operational in 2015.

To pacify the growing anxiety among PUJ drivers who might lose their jobs when the BRT is implemented, Brader clarified that the drivers of PUJ routes that will be affected will be prioritized for employment.

The pilot route of the BRT will need about 1,500 station staff and personnel including 500 drivers.

Initially, there will be over 240 buses to ply the routes, each will be assigned with two drivers who will report to duty on different shifts.

“The BRT will redirect employment into a new regime. Drivers will have their regular daily salaries and will get to enjoy holidays,” Brader said.

Since there are only initial 500 slots available, Brader said that drivers will undergo screening to ensure that the BRT will have the “best drivers” from the pool of PUJ drivers in Cebu City.

Drivers and operators may tap the local government unit for trainings as the selection process will be coordinated with their groups and cooperatives.

Drivers who will lose their jobs may also be considered for station operators and staff positions since the job will not require managerial skills and other stringent qualifications.

Brader said that not only will the riding public benefit from the BRT, but the whole of Cebu City.

He added that the BRT will not be implemented to eliminate jeepneys but it will be there to complement the conventional way of transportation.

Brader also clarified that PUJs will not be totally eliminated during the implementation of the pilot route.

The BRT corridor will run from Bulacao to Ayala to Talamban and an extension line going to the South Road Properties.

It will pass through Natalio Bacalso Ave. from Bulacao to Osmeña Boulevard, Escario Street all the way to Ayala and from Ayala to Talamban.

PUJs plying these routes will be affected, but not totally as some will be rerouted.

City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM) Executive Director Rafael Christopher Yap said that rerouting in the affected areas will be their major challenge come the BRT implementation.

“That would be a major task for us so we hope that the feasibility study will be able to include it in the analysis,” Yap said.

The feasibility study is about to be completed on August this year.

Yap, who is also a part of the Technical Working Group, said the project is greatly anticipated as it will solve the traffic problem in these major routes.

Brader said that the pilot routes were selected because these routes hold most destinations within the city.

The BRT is expected to cut by more than half the average travel time of a passenger.

The fare, which is to be discussed yet, will also be made affordable to passengers. With affordable fares, passengers will have the convenience to travel in an air-conditioned bus quicker and safer.

Brader said that the BRT will overwhelmingly reduce traffic congestion because the absence of jeepneys that frequently stops anywhere will increase the number of vehicles that the affected roads will be able to carry.

There will be lanes dedicated solely for the BRT buses which are initially designed to be located in the center islands.

There will be all-in-all 14 stations to be placed 450 meters apart. People will learn to walk on sidewalks, which, the project also promised to beautify and rehabilitate.

The stations will be made of local wood materials that are self-ventilating to consider the local weather. Each station, stretching 60 meters long, will also have 60 meters of photovoltaic solar panels to self-sustain the electricity requirement of each station.

The BRT system is also environment-friendly since the buses are designed to operate on ultra-clean diesel. (FREEMAN)