DEPARTMENT of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said on Monday, February 27, the much-awaited innovative Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) – the first busway in the province will elevate the level of urban passenger transportation.

Bautista said the Cebu BRT will bring multiple benefits to residents of Metro Cebu by ensuring total mobility while alleviating traffic in the metropolis.

“We are confident the Cebu BRT will significantly enhance the commuting experience of Cebuanos and begin the transformation of Cebu’s transport landscape,” Bautista said.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. and Bautista led the groundbreaking ceremony of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project Package 1.

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama joined the chief executive and DOTr chief.

Bautista said the project was realized through the financing support of the World Bank and the French Development Agency, and the local government of Cebu City.

“This project would not be possible without the financing support of the World Bank and the French Development Agency. Let me also express our gratitude to the Cebu local government for its unequivocal support,” he said.

Package 1 of the P16.3 billion Cebu BRT consists of the construction of a 2.38-kilometer segregated bus lane and 1.15 kilometers of pedestrian improvement from the Link to the Port, and with four bus stations located at Cebu South Bus Terminal, Cebu Normal University and around Fuente Osmeña Circle and Cebu Provincial Capitol.

The whole Cebu BRT project is expected to provide greater job security and working conditions for current public transport drivers and support economic development through travel time savings, environmental improvements, and accident reduction for all residents and visitors of Cebu.

Traversing through Cebu City, Talisay City, and Cebu Province, the BRT involves 13.18 kilometers of segregated lanes with 17 stations, one depot, and one trunk terminal from South Road Properties (SRP) in Cebu City’s south district to the IT park in the north district.

The mass transit also includes a 22.1-kilometer Feeder Line System, which will run over mixed traffic, with two feeder terminals and 76 bus stops across the province of Cebu.

Once completed, the Cebu BRT can service around 60,000 passengers daily during its first year of operation and around 160,000 passengers per day in its full operation.

With 83 buses plying by the opening year and 144 buses by 2038, the BRT will be partially operable by the fourth quarter of 2023 and will be fully operational by the second quarter of 2025.