LTFRB list unfair, cry Metro bus firms

Metro Manila bus companies are criticizing the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) for coming out with lists of the most dangerous buses in the country.

The Integrated Metro Bus Operators Association (IMBOA) said bus companies are being unfairly shed in a 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 the deaths and injury of both passengers and personnel, and damage to property.

The lists were based on data collected for the whole of 2010 and the first half of 2011.

No distinction

But de la Fuente, whose bus company Philippine Corinthian Liner placed sixth and eighth on the list of most deaths and injuries, respectively, said the regulator did not care to distinguish between mishaps 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 bus companies included in 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 mishaps, particularly on major thoroughfares such as Edsa and Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.