LAND Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chief Teofilo Guadiz III yesterday ordered a crackdown on reckless public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive for stricter road discipline.
The order came in the wake of recent viral road incidents on Commonwealth Ave. and Valenzuela involving PUV drivers who ignore traffic rules and endanger passengers and other motorists.
LTFRB will work with the Land Transportation Office (LTO), Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA, and Local Government Units (LGUs) to identify and penalize drivers involved in road incidents.
In a statement, Guadiz said franchise holders who fail to control their drivers will face administrative charges, adding that preventive suspensions are being prepared.
“We are moving now, not after another accident. We’re auditing operators with repeated violations and we will revoke franchises, if necessary,” he warned.
The LTFRB is also deploying more field inspectors and strengthening coordination with enforcement agencies.
“Driving a public vehicle is a responsibility. If you’re reckless, you’re out because it poses a danger to people’s lives,” Guadiz said. “Public transport must be safe. That’s non-negotiable.”
Yesterday, the LTFRB issued a preventive suspension order of not more than 30 days against PUV operator Wilson Hong Sy and the driver of the public utility bus (PUB) involved in the road crash incident on the North Luzon Expressway last Monday.
The LTFRB also ordered Sy and the bus driver to undergo a road safety seminar, compulsory drug testing, and pass the roadworthiness inspection of all the firm’s buses being conducted by the LTO or by its authorized Vehicle Inspection Centers and submit the video clippings of the roadworthiness inspection.
The LTFRB also urged commuters and motorists to immediately report reckless drivers through official channels to help rid public transport of undisciplined operators.
RANDOM INSPECTION
Sen. Raffy Tulfo said that most transport motor pools of transport firms that he inspected yesterday to determine whether their buses are being properly maintained for the safety of passengers have several “violations.”
Among the motor pools Tulfo inspected were the Cisco Bus Company/Five Star Bus Company Inc., Victory Liner Inc., and GV Florida Transport Inc.
Tulfo said he was surprised by the “sorry state” of mechanics in several motor pools, adding they lacked the proper safety gears such as gloves, work boots, aprons, and safety goggles; their machines and equipment used in maintaining buses were filthy and lacked safety covers, and the electrical lines in the motor pools were tangled and some were even haphazardly tapped.
Tulfo said he also discovered that most of the mechanics do not have certifications from the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and some of them did not undergo new training procedures.
He said that some bus companies have no proper preventive maintenance or warranty booklets for each bus unit to keep track of the respective maintenance work done, which made inspections by the Land Transportation, Franchising, and Regulatory Board and other agencies “more difficult.”
“Mahalaga ang TESDA certification dahil dito itinuturo sa kanila ang tamang pag-handle ng vehicle maintenance para sa kaligtasan hindi lamang ng mga pasahero pero maging sa mga mekaniko na rin (Certifications from TESDA are important because they are taught on how to handle the vehicle maintenance properly for the safety not only of the passengers, but the mechanics, as well),” he said.’
Tulfo said one motor pool had an under-chassis or safety pit with no safety markings, which put its workers at risk of tripping. He said the same motor pool lacked proper ventilation, causing its workers to inhale various chemical fumes, a long-term hazard.
He gave all motor pool managers a deadline to correct the violations and submit the maintenance and compliance records of each bus to the Land Transportation Office, LTRFB, and TESDA.
These government agencies, in turn, will transmit the records to Tulfo, which will be used in future committee hearings. – With Raymond Africa
