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| A personnel from the Rural Transit Mindanao, Inc. (RTMI) points a Thermal scanner to a passenger before boarding a coaster bus. Photo by Gery Lee Gorit |
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| Personnel of the Rural Transit Mindanao, Inc. (RTMI) make sure that the riding public follow the needed protocol before boarding a coaster bus plying the Cagayan de Oro City to Gingoog City, a component city in Misamis Oriental, route. Photo by Gerry Lee Gorit |
By GERRY LEE GORIT
Correspondent
CAGAYAN de Oro City--The Rural Transit Mindanao, Inc. (RTMI) which owns a fleet of buses plying Northen Mindanao region started to deploy coaster buses effective May 1, a bus official said yesterday.
"Initially, we deployed six non-airconditioned coaster buses to serve our riding public," said Mr. Jessie Boy P. Lentorio, branch manager of the Rural Transit Mindanao, Inc. (RTMI) Yacapin Branch.
Mr. Lentorio said that RTMI had 2 buses to serve the riding public in the city of Gingoog, and Balingoan in Misamis Oriental, and in the boundary of Alae town in Manolo Fortich in Bukidnon.
He said the 39-seater coaster buses is only allowed to accommodate 14 passengers to ensure that proper Social Distancing is strictly enforced.
Likewise, Mr. Lentorio urged the riding public to observe discipline by wearing face mask, use hand sanitizer, and register with the bus firm's logbook for documentation.
Meanwhile, Donald Rey Ellarina, chief executive officer of Donsals Transport Corporation, said that he had 14 units available to serve the riding public in Cagayan de Oro to the town in Lugait in Misamis Oriental.
Over a phone interview yesterday, Mr. Ellarina clarified that he did not stop his operation since the start of Covid-19. "I received a memorandum from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to never cease operation," Mr. Ellarina said.
He said 14 units of Modernized Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs) continue plying the Cagayan de Oro-Misamis Oriental route even with the "abnormal earnings" experienced by his drivers due to Covid-19.
For instance, he said a driver earned Php1,200 in one day and spent Php1,020 for gasoline. "I just divided the remaining Php180 where I get Php80 and my driver got Php100," he said.
On one hand, Mr. Ellarina said he already started implementing the fare rate increase. He said The regular fare from Cagayan de Oro to Initao, Misamis Oriental is Php35, but is now increased to Php48, or a Php13 increase.
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