By PNA and U.S. News Agency / Asian

Ceres Bus Liner provides free Wi-Fi services in its air-conditioned bus units to improve the “bus-riding experience ” of passengers in Cebu

“If we can’t compete with the price because it’s regulated, we can compete with the service to sustain the patronage of the riding public,” said Ceres Bus Liner branch manager Anselmo Ambos Jr.

He said they realized that Wi-Fi services were already a requirement for many customers.

“This is one way of returning the favor to the public while at the same time setting ourselves different from other bus companies,” Ambos said.

The Ceres Bus Liner initially employed Wi-Fi services with speeds of up to 3.5 mbps to 41 of 85 of its air-conditioned bus units traveling to southern Cebu and 12 of 20 air-conditioned bus units traveling to northern Cebu.

Ceres Bus Liner has 253 buses.

“The goal is to have all air-conditioned bus units Wi-Fi ready by the end of the year,” said Ambos.

He said they were also considering the possibility of setting up Wi-Fi services in non-aircon buses.

Ceres has placed stickers on buses with Wi-Fi connections.

Ambos said there would be no additional charges or increases in bus fares for the new feature.

Cebu was one of the priority cities for Wi-Fi deployment, along with Batangas, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro City and Davao because of its growing market.

The Ceres Bus Liner is operated by Vallacar Transit Inc., which is managed by the Bacolod-based Yanson Group of Bus Companies, the same company that manages Rural Transit of Mindanao and Bachelor Express Inc. for Mindanao and Ceres Tours in Luzon.

The company has over 2,000 bus units operating nationwide.

Ambos identified the country’s robust tourism industry as the main driver of growth for the company.

He said the establishment of the Philippine Nautical Highway that links major islands through roll-on-roll-off vessels has facilitated a seamless transport system for passenger traffic.