World Bank has once again flagged the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, retaining its unsatisfactory implementation rating and questioning whether the system can be completed within the remaining project period.
In its latest Implementation Status and Results Report released on December 25, the World Bank warned that most major infrastructure components of the Cebu BRT are unlikely to be finished before the revised closing date of September 30, 2026. Persistent right-of-way constraints, unresolved resettlement issues, and weaknesses in institutional arrangements were cited as the main factors affecting progress.
The report noted that only Civil Works Package 1 has reached substantial completion, excluding the Capitol Station, and has received a partial taking-over certificate. As of October 31, 2025, just 2.38 km of dedicated BRT lanes have been completed, far below the 12.16 km target set for the closing period. Remaining works under Civil Works Packages 2 and 3, including busways and stations, were assessed as not feasible to complete within the available timeframe.
Key system components, such as the BRT bus depot and intelligent transport systems, are also still unfinished. The World Bank highlighted the absence of secured sites for terminals, delays in resettlement activities, and the lack of a fully established institutional framework and operations and maintenance arrangements as major risks to project delivery.
As a result, project outcome indicators—including passenger ridership, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and passenger satisfaction—remain at zero, reflecting the fact that the Cebu BRT has yet to begin operations. The overall project risk rating remains “high,” with significant concerns related to institutional capacity, fiduciary management, environmental and social safeguards, and stakeholder engagement.
Financially, the World Bank has approved USD141 million in financing for the Cebu BRT, including a USD116 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. As of December 2025, only USD40.62 million, or about 35 percent of this loan, has been disbursed, while a separate USD25 million trust fund remains fully undisbursed.
Despite several project restructurings approved between 2021 and 2023, the World Bank concluded that completing the Cebu BRT within the current schedule is unlikely under existing conditions. The project, approved in 2014, remains one of the Philippines’ flagship urban transport initiatives outside Metro Manila, intended to improve service quality, safety, and environmental performance in Cebu City’s public transport system.
