SINCE they are not allowed to stay long in their temporary terminal in Barangay Kamagayan, southbound vans-for-hire (V-hires) drivers asked the Cebu City Government to facilitate their transfer to the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT).
This prompted Councilor Sisinio Andales to request the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) to make recommendations on the drivers’ request.
In his proposed resolution filed before the City Council yesterday, Andales said V-hire drivers prefer to be at CSBT because it is more accessible to the passengers.
It will also provide more choices to the public on what mode of transportation they will take in going to their destination, he said.
The council, during their regular session yesterday, referred Andales’ proposed measure to the City Terminal Accreditation Board first for comment.
When interviewed, Andales said he wants the CCTO to look into the request of the drivers considering that they will use the city’s roads.
He wanted to know if their transfer to CSBT won’t contribute to the traffic congestion on roads leading to the southern areas of the city.
Andales said, though, the Cebu Provincial Board already approved a resolution granting the request of drivers to temporarily use the CSBT.
At present, the southbound V-hires are utilizing a portion of the lot where the CitiCenter Commercial Complex in Kamagayan used to stand as their temporary terminal.
“They’re allowed to use the area in Kamagayan as terminal temporarily but that space is really intended for the farmers’ market. Some of the vendors already complained that their customers won’t see them because the V-hires are occupying the front portion,” Andales said.
He also said the drivers have complained they don’t like the area because it’s “too risky” for their passengers.
Terminal caretaker Douglas Labra said the Kamagayan terminal is only an experiment to see if the downtown area can be a possible site of a permanent terminal.
The experiment, which started on Sept. 19, will last for three months.
The V-hire drivers previously wanted to go back to their old temporary terminal in a vacant lot near the Compania Maritima but the resolution authorizing Mayor Tomas Osmeña to negotiate with Cebu Port Authority for the use of the property is still pending before the council.
For years, the southbound V-hires used to occupy One Citilink Terminal along N. Bacalso Ave.
However, they have been relocated for several times after then mayor Michael Rama ordered the facility closed in July last year because of a tax delinquency and the lack of necessary permits from the City.
