LTFRB grounds 21 of 70 Don Mariano buses after EDSA flyover incident

Only 21 of some 70 buses of a firm whose unit figured in an unsightly crash at a busy flyover along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue last Wednesday were barred from plying their routes starting Friday.

 

The 21, which included the bus in Wednesday's accident, were covered by one of the franchises of Don Mariano Transit, radio dzBB's Allan Gatus reported.

 

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board suspended the franchise while an investigation is ongoing into Wednesday's accident that injured eight people.

 

Investigators are looking into reports that the bus driver was speeding and texting while driving before the bus crashed at the EDSA-Ortigas flyover.

 

As of Friday morning, the dzBB report said the license plates of the 21 buses covered by the suspended franchise had been removed.

 

Drivers and conductors affected by the grounding were angry because it meant lost income for them, the report said.

 

"Pahinga talaga muna," one of the drivers said. –KG, GMA News