LTFRB seeks ban on use of tricycles as school buses

RISKY JOY RIDEA street scene like this ceases to be amusing once the tricycle figures in an accident and the “extra” passengers sustain injuries. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

Tricycles as school buses? A big no-no, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) stressed.

In a meeting with school bus operators on Thursday, LTFRB Board Member Aileen Lizada said the regulatory agency would seek a ban on the use of tricycles as school shuttles and formalize the proposal before the Metro Manila Council on June 22.

Unlike school bus services that are required to provide insurance for its passengers, tricycles offer less protection and may prove riskier especially when drivers overload the vehicle with passengers, Lizada noted.

The matter came up in the meeting as it was revealed that the LTFRB had yet to come up with a uniform fare scheme for school bus services. Among the factors to be considered are the delineation between school transports for public and private schools, as well as the routes and time traveled by each bus service.

Accident insurances

According to data from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, nearly 3,700 road accidents involving tricycles were recorded last year, with 14 resulting in deaths.

At present, local government units have their respective policies governing the use of tricycles as school services. In Quezon City, there is a proposed ordinances requiring accident insurance specifically for tricycle passengers, according to lawyer Ariel Inton, a commuters’ welfare advocate who previously served in the LTFRB.

Under the proposal, at least P20 million will be allotted by the local government to subsidize half of the insurance for tricycle passengers, while the remaining half would be paid for by the driver-operators, Inton said.