Lawyer says Florida bus operated without permit ‘to serve travelers’

The lawyer of G.V. Florida Transport Inc. said the bus that figured in an accident in the Mountain Province that killed 14 people early Friday morning was on the road despite not having a permit because the company wanted to serve travelers.

He also asserted that it was human error, and not mechanical failure, that caused the bus to plunge into a deep ravine.

 

“Kung hindi naman tatakbo 'yung bus sa ruta, kawawa ang mga mamamayan dahil tourist destination ‘yan. Kung hindi rin tatakbo 'yung bus, maaaring makansela 'yung kanyang prangkisa,” lawyer Alex Versoza, lead counsel for the bus company, said in a report aired on “Balitanghali” Sunday.

"Pagtitimbang ng management 'yun," he said.

 

Based on the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s records, the ill-fated bus's license plate (TXT-872) was issued to a different bus from Mountain Province Cable Tours. 

 

Versoza, however, said G.V. Florida bought the bus from Mountain Province Cable Tours in September 2013, and the company was already in the process of transferring documents, such as the certificates of transfer and sale, to its name when the accident occurred.
 

The lawyer also said the accident was not caused by faulty brakes, but by human error. He said the bus had a braking system designed to automatically stop the vehicle in case the brakes fail. 

 

“[Dahil sa] technology na Maxi Brake, hindi mawawalan ng preno ['yung bus], kasi 'yung technology na ‘yan, 'pag nagka-depekto, ila-lock nung mekanismo 'yung brake at titigil 'yung bus,” Verzosa said.

 

The lawyer said the existence of the braking system disproves the theory that the bus fell down a ravine in Bontoc, Mountain Province because it lost its brakes.

“Hindi tugma, technically, yung sinasabi ng iba na nawalan ng preno [‘yung bus],” he said.

 

Verzosa said the accident was most likely caused by the bus driver miscalculating the sharpness of the road’s curve because of heavy fog.

 

“It’s a one-lane road at super kapal daw 'yung fog early in the morning. Nagkaroon ng miscalculation doon sa kurbada,” he said. 

 

The LTFRB has imposed a 30-day preventive suspension on all 228 buses in the Florida Transport fleet.

 

As of Sunday morning, the LTFRB has begun removing the license plates of all 228 Florida Transit bus units, which ply the Nueva Vizcaya, Mountain Province, Cagayan, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, and Bataan routes.

 

LTFRB chairman Winston Ginez said the agency will conduct an investigation to determine if the franchise license of the bus company needs to be revoked, suspended or canceled.

 

In a televised interview, Ginez said all of Florida Transit’s buses will have to undergo roadworthiness tests. The company's drivers will also have to take drug tests.

“Kung papayagan nating makalabas 'yung mga bus, sisiguraduhin nating legal at talagang awtorisado para na rin sa kapakanan ng mga mamamayan,” he said.

He said the same goes for the 10 buses in the fleet of Mountain Province Cable Tours. — Xianne Arcangel/JDS, GMA News