House bill seeks to set bus drivers’ work hours, regular pay

House of Representatives. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – One way to minimize traffic accidents is to regulate work hours and salaries of bus drivers, lawmakers said Tuesday.

The proposal came a day after a Don Mariano Transit bus fell off Skyway and onto a service road below, killing at least 18 people, mostly passengers.

House Bill 3611, filed by Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Zarate and Anakpawis Representative Fernando Hicap, seeks to grant regular salary and working hours for bus drivers and conductors.

“With the assurance of fixed salaries on a regular basis, PUB (public utility bus) drivers and conductors will no longer be pressured to compete or be forced to work beyond humane working hours. Serious accidents and traffic problems involving these buses will therefore be significantly lessened,” the authors said in a statement.

The two said many accidents involved competing buses “trying to outdo each other in getting more passengers” or sleepy drivers who work more than 16 hours a day.

“Poor working conditions and unfair boundary or commission-based systems are at the root of these accidents…They are often forced to man graveyard shifts, with some driving for almost 20 hours a day,” they said.

Among those killed in the Don Mariano Transit accident was the bus conductor. His partner, in a television interview, said it was possible that the driver fell asleep. She explained that the driver’s shift the day before ended at midnight but he, together with the conductor, decided to go on another shift immediately after. The woman said the two wanted to earn additional income for their families.

Under House Bill 3611, bus operators will be required schedule eight-hour shifts and pay their employees a fixed monthly salary, at least equivalent to the minimum wage.

This is opposed to the boundary- or commission-based systems still being implemented by a number of bus operators, according to the lawmakers.

“A sample computation will show that drivers currently earning P900 a day and working more than 12 hours a day for three days a week will receive almost the same income based on the minimum wage for working eight hours a day for six days a week. The difference is that under this proposed act, drivers will get enough rest while operators spend almost the same amount for salaries,” the proposal said.

Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Winston Ginez earlier revealed that the Don Mariano Transit had not renewed its labor compliance certificate that is given to companies implementing a “two-tier” payment system.

Read: Bus firm in Skyway accident has no DOLE compliance certificate

Ginez said that under the system, bus drivers and conductors were paid a minimum wage and an additional commission, based on their performance. It was envisioned to discourage drivers from competing with each other to get more passengers on the road.

The Department of Labor and Employment issued Department Order 118-12 two years ago after a series of traffic accidents involving buses.

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