THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 7 issued franchises last Dec. 29 for six more MyBus units of Metro Transit Corp.
 
That means nine MyBus units will be plying between Talisay City and SM Seaside City.
 
LTFRB 7 Director Reynaldo Elnar said two more units will be issued a franchise once these are delivered to Cebu to complete the 11-bus fleet of MyBus in one franchise case number.
 
Denied motion
 
Elnar said the opposition of Metro Cebu Taxi Operators Association, Cebu Integrated Transport Service Cooperative, Cebu South Mini Bus Operators Association and the Cebu Provincial Bus Operators Association was denied.
 
Elnar said the Cebu transport leaders filed a motion for reconsideration but this was also denied. 
 
They can appeal it before the LTFRB en banc, but Elnar said he does not if they’ve already done this.
 
He said Metro Transit, a joint venture of Luzon-based transport firm Jam Transit and SM Prime Holdings, has applied for a franchise to operate 77 MyBus units in Cebu.
 
Meanwhile, Elnar said that three MyBus units will continue to operate the new route from Mactan airport to SM City Cebu and vice versa.
 
Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) Assistant General Manager Ahmed Cuizon announced the launching of the special bus service last Dec. 24 to address the lack of taxis in the metro during the holiday.
 
The permit is valid until March.
 
Cuizon said the buses will ply the route from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, with a fare of P25.
 
Special permit
 
The special permit was reportedly issued to Jam Transit by the LTFRB en banc presided by Chairman Winston Ginez.
 
Earlier, Rep. Wilfredo Caminero (Cebu, 2nd district) said he will initiate an investigation on the entry of Jam Transit to Cebu by the House Committee on Transport, of which he is a member.
 
Reps. Joseph Ace Durano, Raul del Mar, Manuel Iway, Cresente Paez and Raymond Mendoza also said Cebu operators must be given priority before LTFRB allows Jam Transit to operate in the province.