Transport leader to question special permit given to MyBus

CEBU, Philippines - Transport leader Ryan Benjamin Yu will question the propriety of the so-called “special permit” being used by MyBus for the Talisay City-Mactan Cebu International Airport route.

Yu, general manager of Cebu Integrated Transport Service Multi-Purpose Cooperative, said the five buses should have not been granted “special permit” by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

He said the five buses have a franchise that operates from Batangas to Cubao.

“Di g’yud unta na pwede kay Batangas to Cubao gud ang ruta ana. Nganong naabot man na sa Cebu ang ilang ruta?” he said. Yu is set to formalize his complaint in a letter to LTFRB-7.

The special permit, according to LTFRB-7 director Rey Elnar, is valid only until March 31 while the Metro Rapid Transport System Inc. is still waiting for the approval of its four franchises covering 77 hybrid buses.

Of the 77 hybrid buses, only nine units were approved to operate so far.

MRTSI is a joint venture of SM Holdings Inc. and JamTransport. It operates MyBus.

Several transport groups in Cebu have opposed the entry of 77 units, contending, among others, that it will worsen the traffic condition in the city.

Among those that opposed were CITRASCO, Visayas United Drivers Transport and Allied Services Cooperative, Metro Cebu Taxi Operators Association, Cebu Provincial Bus Operators Association, Cebu South Mini Bus Operators Association and the National Confederation of Transportworkers Union-Central Visayas.  (FREEMAN)