LTFRB hits 6 bus firms for ‘sabotage’

MANILA, Philippines — The refusal of six provincial bus companies to deploy buses outside the window hours set by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is a clear act of sabotage, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said yesterday.

Based on the reports of its field office in Central Luzon, the LTFRB said thousands of commuters were left stranded at various terminals in Pampanga due to the refusal of provincial commuter bus operators to transport passengers to the Araneta Center Cubao Integrated Terminal Exchange in Quezon City.

Victory Liner Inc., Bataan Transit Bus Co., Five Star Bus Co. Inc., Maria de Leon Trans, First North Luzon Transit Inc. and Genesis Transport Services Inc. insisted on operating only from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., claiming they were complying with the MMDA’s window hours scheme, the transport regulator said.

The LTFRB said the agreement on the window hour scheme should not be misinterpreted by the bus operators that they cannot ply their routes from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

“Since there is no prohibition for them to transport passengers from Pampanga during daytime, it is clear that their foremost intention is to sabotage the continuous flow of public transportation and using the thousands of commuters as hostage to their demand for government regulators to approve their use of their private terminals anytime they want,” the LTFRB said in a statement.

It emphasized the window hour scheme only pertains to the use of the bus firms’ private terminals along EDSA and not a prohibition for them to operate and transport passengers to Metro Manila.

“Their insistence on nighttime operations only connotes willful refusal to perform their responsibilities as common carriers to transport passengers towards their destinations at any given time when there is demand,” the LTFRB said.

The agency also lambasted the bus companies for shifting the blame to the government.

The transport regulator has issued show-cause orders for the bus firms to explain why their franchise should not be revoked.

The bus firms were given five days to file their answer and appear in a hearing set on May 10.