Transport strike paralyses Philippines' Cebu City

Cebu City: The city's streets were nearly empty on Monday as thousands of public transport drivers joined a transport strike that paralysed much of Cebu City.

The drivers are demanding to raise the fare from 7 pesos (60 fils) to 8 pesos (70 fils), in uniform with the fares collected by drivers in Manila.

Arnel Tancinco, an officer of the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management, told the Inquirer newspaper that the strike left hundreds of people, mostly students and employees, stranded.

Several schools cancelled classes and sent students home early and some passengers were forced to walk to reach their destination.

Up to 80 per cent of the city's routes was reportedly affected, especially the Mandaue City to Cebu City route.

The other areas affected were Lapu-Lapu City, Liloan, Consolacion, Compostela, Danao, and Talisay City going to Carcar City.