BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The provincial government of Negros Occidental and Vallacar Transit Inc. (VTI) are discussing the possible resumption of bus operations between the province and Negros Oriental.
VTI, operator of Ceres Liner and Ceres Tours, wanted bus trips back to cater to travelers fully vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), according to Diaz.
Earlier, the Negros Occidental provincial government could have approved the resumption, but it was shelved due to the threat of the more contagious Delta variant of the virus causing COVID-19.
At present, according to Diaz, they need the go signal of the provincial government of Negros Oriental prior to resuming the bus trips.
Based on the initial conditions, only vaccinated passengers can board the buses, otherwise they have to present a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test result.
Previously, the Negros Occidental provincial government proposed that bus trips be “point-to-point”, meaning drivers are not allowed to bring in passengers in between destinations, and passengers are also not allowed to disembark prior to reaching the terminal.
The move aims to make sure they can easily track the movement of the travelers, Diaz said in an earlier interview.
VTI will discuss its travel resumption proposal with Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo./PN
