LTFRB suspends bus firm involved in fatal Mindoro road mishap
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Wednesday served a 30-day preventive suspension order against Dimple Star Bus company following an accident that left 19 people dead in Mindoro.
The preventive suspension was issued after one of the Dimple Star buses fell into a cliff in Sablayan town, Occidental Mindoro province on Tuesday night killing 19 people and injured 21 others.
The LTFRB ordered the Dimple Star company to prevent 10 of its buses with the route San Jose, Occidental Mindoro – Manila (and vice versa) to ply and ferry passengers
The following are the plate numbers of the buses affected by the suspension: TYU 707, TYU 708, TYU 789, TYU 807, TYU 909, TYZ 700, TYZ 800, TYZ 801, TYZ 881, and PTO 367.
The agency also ordered the Dimple Star company to surrender the licensed plates of those buses on Friday.
“Respondent-operator is hereby directed to surrender the for hire plates of the aforesaid buses to the legal division of this Board on Friday, 23 March 2018 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,” its order stated.
The LTFRB also urged the Dimple Star Bus to inspect the road worthiness of its buses and put under a seminar training its drivers and conductors.
A compulsory drug testing to both its drivers and conductors must also be done by the operator, LTFRB said.
The Dimple Star bus involved in the accident came from San Jose town and was on its way back to Manila when it smashed into a portion of the Patrick Bridge. /jpv
READ: 19 dead, 21 hurt in Occidental Mindoro bus crash
