LTFRB grounds cab fleet

MANILA, Philippines—The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has grounded a taxi fleet for 30 days after one of its drivers got involved in a hit-and-run—an accident that his passenger later posted on Facebook.

In a four-page order dated Feb. 4, the LTFRB suspended for not less than 30 days the 11 RMQ Taxi cabs operated by Ron-jon Transport and Car Rental Services Inc. The suspension order took effect on Thursday and will last until March 6.

The LTFRB’s action was prompted by the involvement of an RMQ Taxi cab (UVY 582) in a hit-and-run on Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City, shortly after midnight on Feb. 2.

The incident caught the attention of LTFRB Chair Winston Ginez after it was posted on Facebook by Jam Melchor that same day.

According to Melchor, he was riding in the RMQ taxi between midnight and 12:30 a.m. on Monday when the cab driver, who has not been identified by the LTFRB, “mercilessly ran over a [male] pedestrian and left him for dead somewhere along Shaw [Boulevard].”

He said that due to the impact, the cab’s windshield shattered while the right-side mirror fell off. But instead of stopping to help the unidentified victim, the driver swerved to the opposite lane and drove against the flow of traffic just to get away, Melchor said.

After hitting the pedestrian, the driver shouted: “If we stop, we will just be inconvenienced!” Melchor said in another Facebook post on Feb. 3.

He added that due to shock and out of fear that the driver might harm him, he kept quiet but took a photo of the taxi cab’s markings. He then took another photo of the vehicle as it drove away after dropping him off.

Aside from grounding the cab company’s fleet, the LTFRB informed the operator that it would be confiscating the 11 taxicabs’ license plates on Feb. 9.

It also warned that any RMQ taxi caught violating the suspension order would be impounded.

At the same time, the LTFRB ordered the operator—within the 30-day suspension period—to bring all 11 cabs to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) together with a representative from the board so that these could be inspected for road-worthiness.

The operator was also directed to submit the certificates of registration and LTO official receipts of its taxi units; and submit the names of its drivers and their National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine National Police and barangay clearances as well as its system for hiring and supervising drivers. On the other hand, the taxi drivers were required to undergo a road safety seminar and drug test.

Lastly, the LTFRB ordered the operator to explain why its franchise should not be suspended or revoked during a hearing on Feb. 11.