‘Racing’ bus rams into 2 others, injures 50

Rampaging buses continue to take their toll on the motoring and commuting public. On Saturday, a bus that was apparently in a rush to pick up passengers ended up hitting two other buses, injuring 50 persons. The injured included the three bus drivers. They were detained by authorities following the accident, which took place at the loading bay on Commonwealth Avenue in the Philcoa area, on the lane going to Elliptical Circle. Other victims were treated at the East Avenue Medical Center for minor cuts.

At around 5:55 am, a Marikina Auto Line Transit bus driven by Anthony Malangan, 58, stopped at the loading bay to unload passengers. In front of it was a Safeway bus waiting for passengers; it was driven by Clifford Reyes, 28. Then came the speeding Nova Auto Trans bus, driven by Mario Rogelio Jr., 27. He lost control, hit the left side of the Marikina Auto Line bus and then rear-ended the Safeway bus.

“They are racing to load more passengers, that’s why the (third bus driver) miscalculated and hit the two buses ahead of him,” said Supt. Ely Pintang, head of the Quezon City Police District’s Traffic Enforcement Unit. Pintang said Rogelio would be charged with multiple counts of reckless imprudence resulting in physical injuries.

According to Pintang, Rogelio’s bus company Nova pays regular salaries, as opposed to paying them based on the so-called boundary system wherein drivers turn over a fixed amount to the operator out of their daily earnings and the remaining amount becomes their take-home pay.

The boundary system has been partly blamed why bus drivers engage in a race to take in as many passengers as they can.

With report by Julie M. Aurelio, Julliane Love de Jesus