LTFRB, bus firms seek further study on proposed speed limiters

Provincial bus operators and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Wednesday agreed that further study must be made to identify the types of speed limiters that can be installed on existing models of buses.

While both the LTFRB and the Provincial Bus Operators Association of the Philippines (PBOAP) expressed support for the proposed installation of speed limiters on public utility buses, PBOAP president Alex Yague said lawmakers should consider the design and age of the buses since not all models can be equipped with the same type of speed limiter.

 

“Dapat pag-aralan kung ano lang ‘yung pwedeng ilagay ayon doon sa design ng bus. Kapag may speed limiter na nilagay sa lumang buses, hindi pareho ang kalalabasan [kumpara kapag nilagay yung speed limiter sa bagong mga bus],” he said at the House transportation committee hearing.

LTFRB spokesperson Mary Ann Salada said there are several types of speed limiters available on the market which can be installed in PUBs.

 

The active speed limiter automatically stops the vehicle once it goes over the speed limit programmed in the unit, while the passive speed limiter emits a high-pitched alert—but does not stop the bus—when the vehicle reaches the maximum speed it is allowed to sustain.

 

There is also the speed limiter equipped with GPS, which adjusts the speed limit that should be followed by the bus depending on the terrain it is traveling on.

 

But Salada told reporters that while the LTFRB is fully supportive of the proposal to install speed limiters on PUBs, lawmakers should also study how it will impact bus companies in terms of cost.

 

“[Bus operators] are currently in the process of modernizing [their fleet]. May cost yung pag-iinstall ng speed limiters. We have informed our congressmen about this so they can take this concern into consideration when drafting the law,” she said.

 

Calls for the mandatory installation of speed limiters on PUBs have been mounting since December 2013, when a Don Mariano bus fell off the Skyway, resulting in the deaths of at least 19 people.

 

Earlier this month, a GV Florida bus plunged down a ravine in Mountain Province, killing at least 15 people, including activist-comedian Arvin “Tado” Jimenez.

CCTV installation

 

Aside from discussing the proposed installation of speed limiters on PUBs, the committee also deliberated on another measure requiring bus companies to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras inside commuter buses.

 

Sultan Kudarat Rep. Arnulfo Go, author of House Bill 1992, said the presence of CCTV cameras inside PUBs would help deter criminals from committing crimes inside buses and would also aid road accident investigations. — RSJ/BM, GMA News