Zamboanga City to acquire buses for mass transport project

ZAMBOANGA CITY--The city government will acquire buses to introduce mass transport to serve the key areas of the city despite opposition from the local transport group.

Assistant City Administrator Cesar Raz on Thursday said the mass transport project will provide the city's 800,000 commuters “the right to choose what they want to ride”.

Raz said the city government will acquire 15 units of buses of 50 to 70 seating capacity at PHP6 million each. Each bus will be equipped with television, closed-circuit television camera, air-conditioning, and wifi.

Raz said the buses will have a loop service route with designated bus stops in the following areas: Integrated Bus Terminal in Barangay Divisoria; junction of Barangay Lunzuran; San Bernardino Bridge in Barangay Guiwan; seaport; Western Mindanao State University; airport; Barangay Sta. Maria; Sta. Cruz Commercial Complex; Governor Camins Avenue; and, Barangay Tetuan.

The proposed fare for each passenger is PHP18.

Raz said the mass transport also aims to provide comfort to the commuters, including visitors and tourists. It will also provide employment opportunity as the city government will employ drivers and conductors, he added.

The funds to purchase the 15 units buses has been included in the recently approved PHP4.1 billion 2019 executive budget of the city.

The minority bloc in the City Council has questioned the plan, saying it would compete with the local transport sector. They also pointed out that the project lacked feasibility study.

Edwin Mingala, Federation of Land Transport of Zamboanga (FELTRANZ) president, said the city's mass transport project will adversely affect the local transport sector.

However, Raz said the city government does not have the intention to compete with the private sector, except to provide comfort and choice to the riding public.

“The transport group, if they are ready to take over (its operation), we will give it to them,” he said.

He added that the buses can also be used in times of calamity. (PNA)