Vice President Sara Duterte formally launched the free ride service called "OVP's Peak Hours Augmentation Bus Service (PHABS) - Libreng Sakay’ Program" in a ceremony in Paranaque City on Wednesday.

"We hope that through this program, we will be able to provide relief to some of our fellow Filipinos who rely on public transport for their daily commute to work, to school, and to many other places," she said.

Duterte said the program which was launched with other key areas in Mindanao and the Visayas is a demonstration of effective government and private sector collaboration.

"I am hoping that this is just the start of many more fruitful collaborations with the private sector that are willing to spare their resources to provide much-needed relief to the public, especially now that the country continues to reel and recover from the impact of the COVID- 19 pandemic and grappling from the effects of the global economic crisis," she said.

Duterte said two buses will be deployed in Metro Manila, one in Davao City, one in Cebu, and another one in Bacolod City.

"These buses were lent to us for OVP use. But as I said, the team decided that it would be more useful if they were deployed in some key areas of the country to support the libreng sakay of the DOTr (Department of Transportation)," she said.

"It will support the national government’s program, and at the same time, it is hoped that this meager contribution will translate to daily savings for our public transport-riding kababayans (countrymen)," she added.

In Metro Manila, pick-up of passengers will start as early as 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. from Mondays to Saturdays and will follow the usual EDSA bus way. For Mandaue City the bus will start ferrying passengers from Jagobiao at 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. from Mondays and Tuesdays, while in Cebu City it will commence at 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. en route from SM Seaside to IT Park.

In Lapulapu City shuttles will begin at 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, starting at the Mactan Economic Processing Zone (MEPZ) 1. The OVP bus will also start its point-to-point ride in Bacolod City at 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. except during Saturdays. The free bus transport will also serve other selected barangays in the city on scheduled days.

In Davao City the operation will start at 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. every Monday and Tuesday for Lasang area passengers, Wednesdays and Thursdays for Toril residents, and Fridays and Saturdays for Calinan-bound commuters.

As the country remained under pandemic, the OVP noted that the free shuttle transport will strictly impose the “no facemask, no ride” policy to ensure the safety of passengers from COVID-19. Robina Asido/DMS