The Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) is a bus station in Cebu City, Philippines. CSBT is operated by the Cebu Provincial Government[3] with Carmen Quijano as its current operations manager.[4] The station is a hub for buses servicing southern Cebu and nearby provinces such as Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental and the Zamboanga Peninsula.[5][6]
Cebu South Bus Terminal | |
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General information | |
Location | N. Bacalso Avenue, Cebu City Philippines |
Coordinates | 10°17′51.45″N 123°53′36.54″E / 10.2976250°N 123.8934833°E |
Owned by | Cebu Provincial Government |
Operated by | Cebu Provincial Government |
Bus stands | 40 |
History | |
Opened | February 1993 |
Passengers | |
40,000–50,000[1][2] |
The Cebu South Bus Terminal is located on a 1.2-hectare (3.0-acre) site along N. Bacalso Avenue in Cebu City[7] where the main railway terminal of Cebu used to stand.[8] It is situated in between the Region 7 Land Transportation Office and CityMall Bacalso, a community mall. Nearby landmarks include the Cebu City Medical Center, Region 7 Bureau of Fire Protection Office and Elizabeth Mall.
The terminal's construction was part of the project components under the Metro Cebu Development Project Phase 1 (MCDP I)[9] wherein the Regional Development Council for Region VII, through the Government of the Philippines, entered into a loan agreement with Japan's Official Development Assistance to fund the said project. Its construction was supposed to commence in January 1990 and was expected to be completed by December 1991 but fell 22 months behind schedule due to the time required in clearing the area from squatters.[7]
The construction eventually began in November 1991 and was completed by August 1992 with the number of loading bays reduced from the proposed 48 to just 40. It was turned over to the Cebu Provincial Government in February 1993.[7]
During her first tenure as provincial governor, Gwendolyn Garcia imposed a ₱5 terminal fee[8][10] to passengers of the terminal as it underwent a ₱6 million-renovation which turned it into a fully air-conditioned facility. Ambulant vendors were also removed from the vicinity of the terminal and terminal fee for buses was increased from ₱50 to ₱100 as part of increasing the province's revenue.[11]
On March 29, 2020, the terminal, along with the Cebu North Bus Terminal, was temporarily closed as Cebu City, where it was located, was placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) due to the COVID-19 pandemic[12] and reopened on September 9, 2020.[13]
Based on the data provided by Carmen Quijano, CSBT operations manager, an estimated 50,000 passengers enter and leave the terminal every day, with not less than 500 buses plying the southern route.
The Cebu South Bus Terminal along Natalio Bacalso in Cebu City and the North Bus Terminal in Barangay Subangdaku in Mandaue City will already cease its operations by midnight of March 29, 2020.