Bus owners’ group assail list of dangerous bus lines

MANILA, Philippines—Metro Manila bus companies are criticizing the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board for publishing a list of the most dangerous bus lines in the national capital region.

The Integrated Metro Bus Operators Association (IMBOA) said the bus companies were being unfairly cast in bad light, noting that the LTFRB list did not take into account the number of units each operator had.

“What’s more important is the ratio of accidents that a company has relative to the size of the fleet,” IMBOA president Claire de la Fuente said in an interview.

“Of course, the more buses a company has, the bigger the chance it will get into an accident,” she said.

On Thursday, the LTFRB published a list of the most dangerous bus companies in Metro Manila, based on the number of accidents that led to deaths and injuries, and damage to property.

The list was based on data collected for the whole of 2010 and the first half of 2011.

But De la Fuente, whose bus company Philippine Corinthian Liner placed sixth and eight on the lists for  most deaths and most injuries, respectively, said the LTFRB did not care to distinguish between accidents  caused by the companies’ buses, or by other parties. “We think that list is unfair because the data is incomplete,” she said.

The LTFRB said it intends to release similar reports every quarter.

LTFRB board member Manuel Iway said bus companies included on the list should start improving their operations and be more concerned about the safety of their passengers.

“If they do not improve their operations to become safer, we will cancel their franchises,” he said in a previous interview.

Since the start of the year, the LTFRB has been cracking down on bus companies that frequently figure in accidents, particularly on major thoroughfares such as Edsa and Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.