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TOPLINE’s Seabus will have its soft launch and start sailing on Tuesday, August 15, 2023 with a route from Pier 88 in the northern Cebu town of Liloan, to Mactan Wharf in Lapu-Lapu City and vice versa, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan announced on his social media page on Wednesday.
SunStar Cebu received confirmation on this development from Eugene Erik Lim, president and chief executive officer of Topline Group of Companies, on Thursday, August 10.
The move is seen to benefit more than 10,000 workers in the Mactan Economic Zone alone.
“Your travel to Liloan or other destinations in northern Cebu will now be quick and easy, and you can also save money,” Chan said on his Facebook page announcing the maiden Liloan-Lapu-Lapu voyage.
On its soft launching, passengers can enjoy a promo fare of P35 from the regular fare of P50. Seabus will sail from Monday to Saturday from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Topline Seabus is a 150-seater passenger vessel owned and managed by the Topline Group of Companies, with its port of call at Pier 88, Liloan’s new and smart port that was built and managed by Topline.
The vessel aims to cut the travel time between Liloan and Mactan Island from the usual two hours by land trip to only 45 minutes by sea.
Liloan Mayor Aljew Fernando Frasco told SunStar Cebu Thursday that the Seabus is also seen to reduce the traffic congestion from the tri-cities (Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu) going to his town and the rest of northern Cebu.
Frasco said the shorter travel time will give his constituents and those workers in Lapu-Lapu City more time to spend with their families and hobbies.
“More or less, you have two hours that were saved from traveling from home to your workplace and vice versa, which you can spend on your families at home,” Frasco said.
He said the land trip from Liloan to Mactan currently costs commuters around over P40.
Operations
Topline has prepared two Seabus vessels that will sail from the two ports simultaneously, Brigette Lim, vice president for operations of Topline, told SunStar Cebu Thursday.
These vessels feature state-of-the-art amenities and engines, as they were built not only to be an alternative mode of transportation. Rather, passengers’ safety and comfort were the topmost
“This is really a first because usually when we say ferryboat, we are used to it being very uncomfortable. Now when we created the Seabus, we made everything brand-new. The air- conditioner is cold, the seats are very comfortable, and it is also very fast because of its two engines. And when we did our sea trials, the shortest time of travel was 40 minutes,” Brigette said.
Persons with disability were also taken into consideration as the vessel has access ramps located in its front and back portions.
In a survey conducted last year, Brigette said there were around 10,000 to 15,000 workers, mostly located at the Mactan Economic Zone, who were residents of the town of Liloan, and other adjacent towns and cities in northern Cebu.
She added that they were targeting this particular market as this transport system will give these workers the ability to go to work and return home in a convenient and faster way.
Under its pipeline, Topline wants to launch eight to 10 Seabus units in the coming years. As of the moment, some vessels are still under construction at the shipdock located in the northern town of Carmen, Cebu.
In 2024, the firm targets to launch the Liloan to Cebu City route, once the other vessels are ready to sail.
Brigette said Topline also wants to launch a sea route going to the southern part of Cebu soon.
Grand opening
Brigette said the grand opening of the Liloan to Mactan route is scheduled for September or October this year.
Both Pier 88 and Mactan Wharf will have 28 trips in total from the two Seabuses in a single day, 14 trips for each port.
Brigette said both ports have a 5 a.m. first trip, with the two vessels traveling every hour simultaneously until the last trip at 7 p.m.
Topline will also launch by yearend a mobile application where passengers can book their trips. She said commuters will also experience the same ticketing system incorporated at the Cebu South Bus Terminal that uses QR codes.
Commuting via Seabus is also seen to minimize carbon emission from land vehicles for the passengers, she added, as the vessels have the latest technology that consume less fuel and emit less greenhouse gas.