For executing counterflow, bus driver gets into trouble with LTO

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has called out a bus driver who went viral online for executing a counterflow on a public road.

In a statement, the LTO said it issued a show cause order (SCO) against the registered owner and the designated driver of the passenger bus that was captured performing the counterflow on video.

The agency said this worsened traffic in the area and obstructed vehicle flow on the opposite lane.

“Hindi katanggap-tanggap ang counterflow, lalo na sa mga pampasaherong sasakyan na may dalang buhay ng publiko. May pananagutan ang operator sa pagpili ng kanilang drayber,” said LTO chief and Transportation Assistant Secretary Markus Lacanilao.

(Counterflows are unacceptable, especially for public utility vehicles. The operator is accountable for choosing their drivers.)

The respondents were ordered to appear before the LTO’s Intelligence and Investigation Division (IID) on May 7 at 11 a.m. to submit a written explanation on the incident.

The driver should justify why he or she should not be held liable for charges of reckless driving and being an improper person to operate a motor vehicle.

The operator, on the other hand, is facing charges of employing a reckless driver and breaching franchise conditions.

The LTO ordered the driver to surrender his driver’s license, which will be also preventively suspended for 90 days. The bus will be also placed under an LTO alarm.

Should the respondents fail to heed the LTO’s summons, the agency will resolve the case based on the evidence that it has gathered so far. — JMA, GMA News