With regular salaries, bus drivers expected to slow down, save lives

An average of 16 accidents involving buses happened on a daily basis last year in Metro Manila, based on government records. This figure brought the total bus accidents in the Philippines’ capital region last year to 6,173—the highest ever recorded.   Some of these accidents claimed lives, such as that of University of the Philippines journalism professor Lourdes Estella Simbulan. The veteran journalist was crushed to death in May last year after a speeding bus rammed the cab she was riding along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City—one of Metro Manila’s deadliest highways.   The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), in a memorandum circular released earlier this year, said the “risk-taking behavior” of bus drivers can be attributed to their “lack of income security under a purely commission-based compensation scheme.”   Bus drivers got paid depending on the number of passengers that ride their vehicles, or the number of trips they manage to complete on their routes.   To try to address this problem, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) chief Rosalinda Baldoz issued Department Order 118-12, seeking to institutionalize fixed salary rates for bus drivers and conductors.   The order mandates bus drivers and conductors to be paid with a regular salary not lower than the country’s minimum wage.   Aside from this, bus personnel are also entitled to performance-based wages, depending on their revenue and ridership. They will also be given additional benefits such as 13th month pay, health insurance and leave credits.   The order took full effect this month in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, covering 158 bus companies and more than 10,400 bus drivers, based on DOLE figures.   Protection for bus drivers   DOLE spokesperson Nicon Fameronag said the new order will provide labor security for bus drivers and conductors.   “Mabibigyan ng proteksyon na nakasaad sa batas ang mga dirver at kondukor kasi kasama sa pagbabago na ito ang pagbabayad sa kanila ng kaukulang social security benefits,” he said in a television interview.   He added that under this new compensation scheme, a bus driver’s daily wage, which used to be P1,200 on the average, can reach P1,500.   Fameronag further said that the new pay scheme also took into account bus drivers’ health.    “Obligado sila magpahinga after eight hours of work. Hindi pwedeng tuloy tuloy…. Talagang pangangalagaan ang kanilang kapakanan,” he said.   William Senina, a bus driver for over a decade, also welcomed the DOLE’s move to reform his compensation scheme.   “Sino ba namang ayaw niyan? Nasa minimum na eh hindi pa masyado hirap ang katawan. Tsaka ang puyat, pagod maiiwasan. Nasa tamang oras ang biyahe. Tamang sweldo rin,” he said in a separate interview.   No real change?   A group of Metro Manila-based bus operators, however, said that the fixed salary scheme for bus drivers and conductors will not at all address road safety woes in the country’s capital.   Grace Adducul, counsel for the Metro Bus Association, said the new compensation scheme may not help in reducing some bus drivers’ risky behaviors, since revenue is still a factor for their daily wages.   “‘Yung fixed salary na hindi naman po talaga salary dahil ang mangyayari lang po mahihiwalay yung minimum wage nila doon sa incentives nila,” she said in a separate interview.   “Ang incentives nila, kasama pa rin doon ang ridership factor o kung ilang pasahero ang maisakay nila at ilang trips ang nacomplete nila. So kasama pa rin po iyon sa performance part. Ganoon pa rin sya,” she added.   The Metro Bus group spokesperson added that the government should instead be stricter in issuing licenses to bus drivers to minimize accidents that involve them.   The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is also hopeful that the fixed salary for bus drivers will lead to safer roads in the metropolis.   “Hopefully, magkakaroon ng behavioral change whereas dati nakikipag-unahan ang mga iyan para makakuha ng mga pasahero. Iyong mga driver natin, hindi na kailangan magpuyat o mapagod pa,” MMDA assistant general-manager Emerson Carlos said. — ELR/HS, GMA News