Cebu BRT stumbles: Completion at risk, says World Bank
Published Dec 26, 2025 12:15 pm
A look at one of the stations of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (DOTr photo)
Despite some recent inroads in the rollout of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project, the World Bank flagged a still “unsatisfactory” implementation of the long-delayed transport system in the Queen City of the South, which may not be finished as targeted next year.
In a Dec. 25 implementation status and results report, seen by Manila Bulletin, the World Bank said that, on top of the unsatisfactory overall implementation progress, the overall risk rating for the project also remained “high.”
“Civil works package one is substantially completed, except for the Capitol Station, and a partial taking-over certificate has been issued. The bulk of the remaining infrastructure—specifically busways and stations for civil works packages two and three—cannot be completed within the remaining period for project implementation,” the World Bank said.
“Further actions, including the acquisition of critical sites for terminals and resettlement, securing road right-of-way (ROW), and establishing the institutional framework and operations and maintenance (O&M) arrangements for the BRT, also cannot be completed,” it added.
The World Bank’s investment project financing (IPF) for Cebu BRT will close on Sept. 30, 2026.
Out of the $116-million International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) loan for this project—aimed at helping Cebu City, the country’s oldest, reduce pollution and traffic, create jobs, and make the metropolis a more attractive investment destination—only $40.62 million, or 35.02 percent, has been disbursed to date.
The $25-million financing from the World Bank’s Clean Technology Fund (CTF) also remains untouched.
Last July, the World Bank recommended downscaling the project under the watch of the newly elected Cebu provincial and city officials.
For the World Bank, “considering the age of the project, it may be more appropriate to restructure the project to address the activities that can be completed within the closing date.”
This World Bank financing has already been restructured four times—twice each in 2021 and 2023—due to project delays.
Cebu BRT aims to improve the overall performance of the urban passenger transport system along the project corridor in Cebu City in terms of quality and level of service, safety, and environmental efficiency.
Manila Bulletin first reported in December last year—a decade after the World Bank approved its loan for Cebu BRT—that the Washington-based multilateral lender flagged sluggish implementation and warned that it may remain unfinished by the time the available financing ends.
Back then, the World Bank suggested that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) again request an extension of the project loan green-lit in 2014.
When this loan was approved over a decade ago, the World Bank targeted completion of the then-planned 23-kilometer (km) Cebu BRT by 2020, to carry 330,000 passengers daily.
Similar to trains, BRT systems operate on dedicated lanes, offering faster, safer, and more reliable transport for large numbers of passengers. But unlike traditional rail systems, BRTs use buses—making them a more affordable and simpler option to build, operate, and maintain.