In 2011, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) released a list of the most dangerous bus companies in Metro Manila based on the number of accidents they were involved in that resulted in deaths, injuries and damage to property.
The list was based on accident reports submitted by all public utility bus companies to the LTFRB. The reports covered the whole of 2010 and the first six months of 2011.
The top three bus companies that recorded the highest number of accidents which led to deaths among both passengers and bus personnel were Admiral Transport, Nova Auto Transport and Jam Liner.
The three also topped the list of bus companies with the biggest number of accidents that resulted in injuries to both passengers and bus personnel.
Don Mariano Transport, Nova Auto Transport and Gassat Express were the top three bus firms that registered the highest number of accidents resulting in damage to property.
In November 2011, the LTFRB also cancelled the franchises of two of the country’s biggest bus operators, Philippine Corinthian Liner (for 121 buses) and Jell Transport (128 buses), after bus operators staged a protest action against their inclusion in the number-coding scheme and left thousands of commuters stranded.
On Jan. 3, 2012, the LTFRB ordered bus company owners to start paying their employees above the minimum wage and for drivers and conductors of public utility buses to be paid fixed salaries.
The new rule was in line with efforts to provide better service to the public by improving the working conditions in the public utility vehicle (PUV) sector and abolish the commission or “boundary” system imposed by most operators on their workers.
According to LTFRB, this change in the payment system should also help reduce the number of bus accidents in the country since drivers would no longer be “competing” with one another by driving recklessly or violating traffic rules just to have as many passengers as they can in a shift.
As of the end of 2012, there were 8,077 bus franchises registered nationwide with a combined fleet of 26,483 units. In Metro Manila, there were 391 franchises covering a total of 5,342 units.
Source: Inquirer Archives, LTFRB, MMDA
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