Commuters in the Philippines may soon enjoy free rides across selected areas in the country.
The “Peak Hours Augmentation Bus Service (PHABS)- Libreng Sakay” was launched on August 3 at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange in a ceremony led by Vice President Sara Duterte together with Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.
Five buses will be available to the public – two of which will be on Metro Manila. One bus each will be designated at Davao City, Cebu, and Bacolod.
“Ang mga bus ay ipinahiram sa atin para magamit ng OVP. Ngunit, mas kapaki-pakinabang ang mga ito kung magagamit ng libre ng ating commuting public,” said Duterte.
Apart from the free ride, each bus is also WiFi-ready and has a toilet.
The Vice President also underlined the need of partnership between the government and the commercial sector, particularly in light of the COVID-19 epidemic and the global economic crisis.
“Napatunayan na naman natin na walang problemang hindi kayang solusyunan kung tayo ay nagkakaisa at naniniwala na sa tulong ng ating gobyerno at mga kaibigan at supporters sa pribadong sektor, malalampasan natin ang lahat ng hamon na ating kinakaharap,” added VP Duterte.
For his part, Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista expressed gratitude to the OVP for the additional buses that will help the OVP’s “Libreng Sakay” initiative for the Edsa busway carousel.
According to Bautista, the OVP’s “Libreng Sakay” initiative will assist commuters commuting to work and school.
“Ka-isa po ang Kaluguran ng Transportasyon sa hangarin ng ating Pangalawang Pangulo na tulungang ibsan ang pasanin ng ating mga kababayan, lalo na sa panahon ngayon,” said Sec. Bautista.
