Governor Gwendolyn Garcia on Thursday said bus and mini-bus operators have until March 15 to adopt the centralized automated ticketing system from the province’s authorized installer in compliance with the Department of Transportation (DOTR) order on automated fare collection system (AFCS).
In an executive order (EO) released Thursday, Garcia said bus operators utilizing the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) must sign a memorandum of agreement with the authorized service provider, Topline Hi-Tech and Synergy Corporation.
After the signing, Topline will integrate the buses’ ticketing system with the “Suroy-Suroy Card”.
The card, with cash load, will be used as payment by tapping it on machines provided in the terminal.
“Buses and mini-buses operators who do not sign the aforementioned memorandum of agreement shall be denied entry to the CSBT,” the EO read.
DOTR came up with the AFCS for public utility vehicles to employ cashless payments.
“Automating the fare collection system at the CSBT will be more efficient in facilitating ticket purchase process and with decongestion at the terminal, enhance safety and comfort of the riding public,” Garcia said.
On June 4, 2020, the province’s Economic Enterprise Council accepted the proposal of Topline, after having determined that the system “can have a positive impact on Cebuanos using the terminal on a daily basis.”
Garcia said the unsolicited proposal was subjected to a “competitive challenge” and there were no other interested parties that applied for comparative offers.
The provincial government and Topline executed a “contract of design, supply, install, operate, and maintenance of a centralized automated ticketing system” at the CSBT on September 3, 2020.
The governor said the agreement was under the Local Government Code, which gives city and municipal governments the power to regulate traffic in all streets and bridges within their territorial boundaries, among other powers.
She also invoked the general welfare clause of the code in implementing AFCS at the said terminal. (PNA)
