The World Bank has delivered a critical assessment of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project, assigning it an 'unsatisfactory' rating in its latest review. The report, which was published on the bank's website on December 25, 2025, cites slow progress and unmet targets as the primary reasons for the poor evaluation.
Project Progress Falls Short of Goals
According to the Implementation Status and Results Report, the project's development objectives and overall implementation progress remain at an unsatisfactory level. The World Bank, which is a key funder, also maintained a high overall risk rating for the initiative. The CBRT was designed to transform transportation along Cebu City's major corridors, aiming to improve service quality, safety, and environmental sustainability.
The report highlights that the main civil works have fallen behind schedule. To date, only a portion of the first construction package has been completed. Package 1, covering a 2.38-kilometer stretch from the Cebu South Bus Terminal on N. Bacalso Avenue to the front of the Capitol building along Osmeña Blvd., is nearly finished except for the Capitol station itself.
Significant Delays and Unfinished Work
The groundbreaking for Package 1 occurred in the first quarter of 2023, with an original completion target set for December 2023. However, it took over two years to finish. Authorities have issued a Partial Taking Over Certificate, formally accepting the completed sections even as work continues on the overall project.
More concerningly, the report states that the majority of the remaining infrastructure is unlikely to be completed within the current implementation period. This includes additional bus lanes and stations under Package 2 and Package 3. Other critical aspects, such as land acquisition for terminals, resettlement activities, securing road right of way, and establishing the institutional framework for the system's operation and maintenance, are also not expected to be finished on time.
Zero Passengers and Missed Targets
The project's impact metrics paint a stark picture of its current state. As of late 2025, the average daily passenger count on the CBRT trunk line remained at zero. Key targets for reducing travel time and lowering carbon emissions have not been achieved. This underscores the gap between the project's planned benefits and its present reality, reinforcing the World Bank's unsatisfactory verdict.
The future of the ambitious transit system now faces serious questions as it struggles to overcome significant implementation hurdles and meet its foundational objectives.
