Pasig City found another creative way to offer free rides to health workers, city frontline personnel, and more recently, patients, with the deployment of the COMET e-Bus and e-Trikes.
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto reported on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, that the Pasig Transport Free Ride program for patients is already on its third day of assisting residents without their own vehicles and who rely on public transport to get to hospitals for sessions on dialysis, chemotherapy, and the likes.
Sotto also made it clear that social distancing is being practiced on the e-trikes, following the prescriptions of the COVID-19 enhanced community quarantine on Metro Manila and Luzon that had suspended public transportation.
The Free e-trikes service launched on March 30 deploys electronic tricycles to provide transportation needs of chronic disease patients, those in need of a regular medical check-up or medical procedure in any medical facility in the Pasig City area.
The Pasig e-Trike free ride assists the ff:
- Chronic disease patients
- Patients needing regular dialysis and chemotherapy and taking ARV
- PWD or pregnant women who are in need of medical check-up
- other regular medical treatment that is not an emergency
The limited number of e-Trikes can accommodate patients on a first-come-first-served basis. Residents are enjoined to call the Hotline number: 8-643-0000 two days before the scheduled check-up.
Earlier on March 18, two 2nd-generation units of Community Managed Electric Transport (COMET) were provided by Global Electric Transport (GET) Philippines to the Pasig City Government to provide free rides in Pasig for frontline government personnel and health workers.
The COMET Buses also came with a complete service team with drivers, free of charge.
“BUS SERVICE FOR ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL (MAAARING SUMAKAY ANG MGA EXEMPTED SA QUARANTINE; PRIORIDAD ANG MGA HEALTH WORKER). Our routes will run as many times as possible throughout the day. We will try to operate even beyond the indicated times.” Mayor Vico tweeted.
Each shuttle is disinfected, properly sanitized, and can accommodate 10 passengers following the social distancing protocol. It has a maximum capacity of 20 seated and 10 standing passengers, in non-emergency use.
“After every ride, the vehicle is sterilized as per the standards of the Pasig City government, and the vehicle is not allowed to depart until it has been deemed appropriately sanitized. The driver and conductor of each trip keep a vigilant tally of the number of people on board at any given time, and the seats have been marked to indicate the appropriate distance passengers must keep from each other,” said Kylie Tinga of GET Philippines.
“[The e-vehicle is] really helpful for the environment because as a zero-emission vehicle, it doesn’t release any of the harmful pollutants or greenhouse gases that a typical diesel engine would, such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, or particulate matter,” added Tinga.
Here are the Routes of COMET:
- City Hall to Sheridan – Bus 2,3,5, and 6 | 8am-12nn and 1pm-4pm
- City Hall to Santolan (B) – Bus 4 and 10 | 8am-12nn and 1pm-4pm
- Lucky Gold to Pasig City General Hospital – Pasig City Bus | 6am and 5pm
- City Hall to Pasig City General Hospital – Pasig City Bus and Coasters | 6am and 5pm
- City Hall to Santolan (A) – Bus 2,3,4, and 6 | 6am – 8am and 5pm-7pm
- City Hall to Kalawaan – Bus 5 | 6am-8am and 5pm – 7pm
- City Hall to Kenneth – Bus 10 | 6am-8am and 5pm – 7pm | Bus 9 | 6am and 5pm
- City Hall to Rosario – Bus 7 | 6am and 5pm.
Mayor Vico Sotto has continued to appeal for a lifting of the total ban on tricycles since COMET cannot accommodate thousands of health workers and patients.
Pasig City also launched the Mobile Palengke, a truck that serves as a store selling goods from the market.
Meantime, the Philippine-made Hybrid Electric Road Train has been deployed in Cauayan City, Isabela to exclusively shuttle Frontliners and Health Service Providers going to and from their work while mass transportation is suspended during the Luzon-wide community quarantine.
Health workers and other frontliners in the COVID-19 crisis are being assisted with the RapidPassPH technology that identifies their transportation as priority vehicles that are given quicker processing in checkpoints.
SEND CHEERS in the comments below to the people of Pasig City for taking care of the transport needs of both their frontliners and patients!
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