Former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña slammed the provincial government in a March 6 press conference, calling the housing ultimatum “intimidation and political maneuvering” ahead of the May 2025 elections. CDN Photo/ Pia Piquero
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Vice Mayor-elect Tomas “Tommy” Osmeña on Thursday unveiled plans to pilot a subscription-based public transport system tailored for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) workers, particularly those working night shifts.
The proposal seeks to address long-standing transportation issues faced by call center employees, especially the high cost of app-based motorcycle services during late-night hours and the lack of safe, efficient public transport options.
Osmeña, in a consultation with BPO stakeholders, said the system would feature commuter-designed routes and digitally mapped pick-up and drop-off points, to make transportation more responsive, affordable, and secure.
“There are a lot of things we have to go through, but we have a direction,” Osmeña said. “And then hopefully, once we master that, then we have a system.”
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The proposed model involves identifying clusters of BPO employees based on where they live and when they need to travel. Using a digital map linked to the city’s Geographic Information System (GIS), employees would tag their home location and shift schedule. These data points would then be analyzed to create efficient routes.
“We’ll tell the agents, ‘Look, we can put on your screen an electronic map of the city. You put a dot where you live. That dot opens a file in the GIS system. You indicate what time you have to go to work and what time you’re coming home,’” Osmeña explained.
Once the data are gathered, routes will be designed to serve areas with high concentrations of workers. Osmeña said that the system will be built with direct input from workers themselves, including determining where the bus stops will be and what time buses should leave.
“We isolate a circumference of these people, talk to them directly, and electronically develop a bus route to their workplace,” he said.
The city government, in partnership with the private sector, plans to deploy at least four buses for the pilot run. During the initial phase, commuters will not be charged fares to allow adjustments based on real-time feedback.
“Initially, we will not charge because we know the first trip is all screwed up. But everyone expects that. Pasensya na lang, it’s new. We’ll try it one time,” Osmeña said.
The proposed system’s standout feature is its subscription-based fare model, where passengers will no longer pay drivers directly or use tickets. Instead, all payments will be handled via a pre-arranged subscription model.
“Once they’ve assigned passengers to the buses, collection of fees will just be by subscription,” Osmeña said. “You don’t have to have somebody taking tickets or getting payments. Just board the bus.”
He added that private investors will be invited to fund the initial fleet of buses. If the model proves viable, it can be scaled up based on commuter demand and investor returns.
“I will ask the private sector—a few businessmen—to buy four buses. We’ll give you the route. Then we’ll see if we can make a financial plan that pays for itself,” he said.
Osmeña said the vision is to build a modern, commuter-first system unlike any conventional setup currently in place.
“This will probably be the only system in the world designed by the customer, by the rider themselves, down to where the bus stop will be,” he said. “It will run smoothly, conveniently, and fast.”
The proposal is still in the planning stage, but Osmeña expressed confidence that with proper coordination between the city, BPO companies, and transport operators, the system could be up and running within months.
The pilot complements Osmeña’s broader push for innovative, people-centered transportation reforms under his “ungovernment” approach, a governance model focused on results rather than bureaucracy. /csl