Partial CBRT operations to start March 13

Local

THE first operational segment of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) system will begin running on Friday, March 13.

The Cebu City Government announced that partial operations of the CBRT will start in coordination with the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-Central Visayas, and the Land Transportation Office-Region 7.

As part of the initial rollout, median lanes along selected road sections will remain closed to general traffic to accommodate the CBRT system.

These include N. Bacalso Avenue, from Cebu South Bus Terminal to Osmeña Boulevard; and Osmeña Boulevard, from N. Bacalso Avenue to Fuente Osmeña Circle.

City officials said the closures are necessary to allow buses to operate within the system’s dedicated lanes.

However, Councilor Winston Pepito, chairman of the committee on transportation, said the launch should already be considered the start of full operations for CBRT Package 1, which runs from Il Corso to the IT Park area.

“Dili na siya actually partial. Full operation na gyud na siya sa Package 1 from Il Corso to IT Park. Padayon na gyud na siya,” Pepito said.

He explained that while the first package will already be operational, the rest of the project remains incomplete.

“But we will still look for ways para mahuman gyud ang rest of the packages like Packages 2 to 4,” he added.

Pepito acknowledged that commuters may not yet experience the full benefits of the bus rapid transit system since some segments will still operate in mixed traffic, particularly near Escario Street and areas approaching IT Park.

“Mao na nga dili kaayo siya nindot unlike if mahuman gyud siya completely kay ma-mix traffic man gud siya… dili pa gyud ma fully enjoy sa mga tawo unsa ka nindot ang supposed BRT nga murag train nga lahos-lahos,” he said.

Despite this, Pepito said the city and national government opted to start operations to utilize the completed infrastructure rather than leave it idle.

“Since naa naman ang Package 1, it should be utilized na sa atong buses para magamit na siya nga area,” he said.

Pepito added that additional buses will be deployed to serve the corridor.

He also said “he had heard” that the service might initially be free for passengers, but emphasized that the arrangement has yet to be finalized.

“Sa akong nabal-an free na siya,” he said, noting that traffic personnel from the Cebu City Transportation Office will also be deployed to manage traffic along the route.

Mayor Nestor Archival, in a separate interview on Thursday, said the first day of operations will begin at 10 a.m. on March 13, while regular operations in the following days are expected to start at 6 a.m.

Archival also clarified that the proposal for free rides is still under discussion.

“Iklaro pa gyud ni ugma kay if free meaning to say wala gyud bayranan. Syempre ang supplier sa buses, dili baya free ang gasolina,” the mayor said.

“Nothing definite yet, but ganahan ko og free—but number of days lang siguro,” he added.

Archival stressed that it is unlikely the free ride arrangement would last an entire year.

“It might not be the whole year,” he said.

The CBRT project has faced several delays before reaching this stage.

Earlier this year, Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said Package 1 had reached 97 percent completion, with the remaining work involving “punch listing,” or final inspections and minor corrections before full completion.

Once fully operational, the first package is expected to accommodate up to 34,000 passengers daily between the Cebu South Bus Terminal and Fuente Osmeña Circle.

The broader CBRT project includes additional packages that will extend the system’s route and infrastructure across Cebu City.

However, funding challenges have emerged after the World Bank withdrew financing support for the project’s second and third packages. The loan funding Package 1 is set to expire in September 2026.

The national government is currently exploring a public-private partnership scheme to finance the remaining phases of the project.

Despite the delays and funding issues, transportation officials have maintained that the initial operations of

Package 1 will proceed while the government works to complete the rest of the CBRT system.(TGP)