Dry run, inauguration pending: CBRT faces delay

December 11, 2025

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CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES — Now in the final stretch of the year, the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project, hailed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as a “Christmas gift to Cebu” during its groundbreaking in February 2023, has once again seen its launch postponed.

In his latest press conference, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival announced that the dry run and inauguration of CBRT’s Package 1 were scheduled for December 12, but confirmation of the President’s attendance was still pending. However, late Tuesday, the City’s Information Office relayed an advisory from the Department of Transportation (DOTr), which announced that the launch has been postponed once more.

Since its dry runs, conducted in early September of this year to simulate actual operations, CBRT Package 1 has faced several hitches that have delayed its official inauguration.

Initially, the CBRT was scheduled to be inaugurated on November 5, 2025. It was later moved to November 7, when the President came to Cebu to attend to calamity-stricken areas following the onslaught of Typhoon Tino.

Both inauguration dates were then canceled.

Currently, the official launch remains indefinitely delayed, as no formal announcement has been made on its new launch date.

Archival, for his part, said that full operations of the project’s Package 1 will not immediately follow the inauguration. He stressed that the previous dry runs only covered the stretch from Fuente to the station at the South Bus Terminal.

The mayor disclosed that he suggested a more comprehensive route to the DOTr, one that covers the SRP to South Terminal, Jones Avenue, Fuente, and Ayala. This, however, still needs to be finalized, either before the year ends or by January 2026.

“Kinihanglan lingkuran pa gyud ni ang rota nga klaro,” he said, stressing that the system must be tested thoroughly before the wider rollout.

Tracing CBRT’s long-standing delays

The CBRT project was first proposed in the 1990s by then-Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who is currently the vice mayor of the city.

The project was formally approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board in 2014 after years of feasibility studies supported by the World Bank and the French Development Agency.

Originally envisioned as a 23-kilometer corridor costing P10.6 billion, the project has since ballooned to over P16 billion and been restructured into three phases.

Delays mounted due to changes in leadership, right-of-way disputes, and even proposals to scrap the BRT in favor of a light rail system.

The COVID-19 pandemic and Typhoon Odette further stalled progress.

During its groundbreaking on February 27, 2023, President Marcos Jr. said he wanted at least Package 1 completed by the end of the year as a Christmas gift to the Cebuanos.

However, the project has struggled further, especially with objections from the Cebu Provincial Government. This arose when the Capitol objected to the design of one of its stations fronting the Capitol, citing heritage preservation and traffic impact.

Now, under Governor Pamela Baricuatro, support for the CBRT has revived, though design changes are expected to address these objections.

The first dry run was held in September 2025, offering free rides along the 2.38-kilometer Package 1 route, but the formal inauguration was derailed by Typhoon Tino.

It was then reported that the World Bank, once a key backer, had grown increasingly critical of the status of Phase 1. In mid-2025, it downgraded the project’s progress to “unsatisfactory,” based on documents from the World Bank.

By October, the World Bank also announced it would not pursue funding for Packages 2 and 3 until Package 1 is fully completed and the government demonstrates the capacity to manage the system.

For commuters, the CBRT has become an elusive gift—announced with fanfare, delayed by various issues, and now postponed once again. Earlier, officials remained optimistic about phased operations by 2026 and full completion by 2027 or 2028.

| Written by Caecent No-ot Magsumbol