With the suspension of the license of Don Mariano Transit expiring on January 16, 2014, the Automobile Association Philippines is pressing for the cancellation of the bus company’s franchise. A Don Mariano bus fell off the Skyway last month, killing 19 people including the bus driver, and the tires of the bus, when inspected, were found to be worn-out. According to news reports, an inspection found that 36 of the 42 Don Mariano buses flunked the road worthiness tests of the Land Transportation Office.
AAP president Gus Lagman noted that Don Mariano buses have a history of road crashes. In 2011, Don Mariano buses were involved in three accidents, resulting in two persons injured and damage to property. In 2012, a Don Mariano bus almost fell off the EDSA flyover in Ortigas, injuring eight passengers and damaging a section of the flyover’s rails straddled by the wayward bus. Regarding reports that Don Mariano Transit has six sister bus companies with a total of 474 bus units, AAP urged the cancellation of all their franchises since the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has rated three in the group (Don Mariano, Nova Auto Transport and Admiral Transport) as the most dangerous and accident-prone bus companies.
“The owners and management of Don Mariano Transit should be held criminally liable for violating the law requiring common carriers, such as public buses, to observe extraordinary diligence for the safety of the passengers they carry,” AAP vice president and Road Safety Committee chairman Johnny Angeles said. “By failing to maintain their bus units in good, roadworthy condition which includes making sure that the tires are in good condition, Don Mariano Transit puts the lives of commuters in danger. Such poorly maintained buses pose a threat to all road users and should be banned.’”
Bus operators like Don Mariano should remember that the public transport business is a public service, not just a profitable, money-making enterprise, Lagman and Angeles said. They averred that aside from bald tires, which are prone to hydroplane on roads made slippery by rain, brakes that “fail” are the most common cause of road crashes involving buses. Reckless driving, exceeding speed limits and driver fatigue are also major causes of mishaps.
They pointed out that none of the bus drivers who attended the three-day training course for public utility drivers conducted by AAP in coordination with the LTFRB, the University of the Philippines National Center for Transportation Studies and Toyota Motor Philippines, have ever been involved in a road accident after graduating from the course. The driver training series is one of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 projects of AAP, which is the biggest and oldest non-profit, non-stock motoring club in the country.
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