MMDA expects less 'bus-racing' accidents with regular wages for drivers

With bus drivers about to get regular wages starting Jan. 16, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority expects less racing among them for passengers along major thoroughfares, including Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA). In a radio interview on Sunday, MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said sanctions loom on bus firms that refuse to give their drivers the regular pay and other benefits. “Malaking bagay ito para maiwasan ang pagkarera sa lansangan lalo na sa EDSA. Hopefully makakabawas ito [sa mga disgrasya]," he said in an interview on dzBB radio. He said this adding that performance-based incentives should also help instill discipline among bus drivers. Tolentino warned bus operators of sanctions for violating the Labor Code if they do not give their drivers the regular wages. Last Friday, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board ordered public utility bus (PUB) operators to implement the government-prescribed salary rate, working hours, and minimum benefits for bus drivers. Earlier reports said the LTFRB decreed the fixed component of the salaries for bus drivers and conductors shall not be lower than the applicable minimum wage in the region. The performance-based component shall be based on the net income of the operator or bus company and on employee safety records such as their involvement in road accidents, commission of traffic violations, and observance of road courtesies. Also, the bus drivers and conductors will be allowed to work for only eight hours a day, and get overtime pay for hours beyond the eight-hour work time. Last November, labor officials signed an agreement with representatives of the bus transport industry to adopt measures to promote public transport safety. — LBG, GMA News