LTO fines firm over defective bus lights

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent

THE Land Transportation Office (LTO) yesterday slapped a bus company with fines after its inspectors found four of its buses with defective headlights and signal lights.

The LTO, led by regional director Hilarion Ulep, started doing the rounds yesterday to make sure public transport buses are road worthy especially when people start going home for the Holy Week.

The inspections are being carried out as part of the DOTC’s “Oplan Ligtas Biyahe Simana Santa 2016.”

Ulep said the four buses at the Bulua terminal, owned by Rural Transit Mindanao Inc., were found to have defective lights in violation of a memorandum circular of the DOTC.

Ulep said he also caught a bus “conductor” smoking inside a bus which has been prohibited based on a memorandum circular by DOTC  Secretary Joseph Abaya.

He said the bus company would be slapped with a P5-thousand fine for each of the violation.

Ulep said the LTFRB would also go strict on the rule again overloading of public vehicles.

“We will maximize the sitting capacity, and no passenger can be allowed to stand. We want to make sure the vehicles are in good condition from the wiper to the tires to ensure public safety,” Ulep said.

He said the LTFRB is also making sure that registration and franchise papers, and licenses are valid.

“We won’t allow expired documents. The penalty is stiff,” said Ulep.

In a related development, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board regional director Mandangan Darimbang said the LTO will be issuing special permits to bus companies that may want to deploy more buses to serve various routes in Mindanao during the Holy Week.

Darimbang said LTFRB desk stations would be set up at bus terminal across Region 10 to make it easier for the companies to secure special trip permits.

He said the LTFRB has decided to issue the special permits in order to avoid overloading of  buses.