40-kph speed limit eyed for Metro buses

MANILA, Philippines—The government will implement a 40-kilometer-per-hour speed limit on all passenger buses operating in Metro Manila to reduce or prevent deadly accidents caused by speeding and reckless driving.

To make this possible, the Department of Transportation and Communications announced Monday that the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board would issue a memorandum circular requiring bus operators to install a speed limiter device on their vehicles.

The device either automatically prevents the driver from going faster once the speed limit is reached or warns him when the vehicle’s speed goes beyond 40 kph.

“This will help reduce the increasing number of accidents on our streets caused by speeding bus drivers,” Transportation Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II said.

“I don’t see any reason for buses to go beyond 40 kph,” Roxas added.  “The service buses applied for is to carry passengers to their destination. The safety of the commuters should be their main concern. They did not get a permit to become car race drivers.”

The new speed limit is lower than current 60-kph being implemented at two major thoroughfares in the metropolis–Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City and Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay.

According to the LTFRB, 395 victims of bus accidents were recorded last year. Of the total, 74 died while 301 were injured. Twenty of the accidents resulted in damage to property.

The circular is expected to be issued in March, covering an initial 4,000 passenger buses plying routes in Metro Manila. By December, however, all buses in the metropolis must comply with the directive.

In the next phase of the program, the DOTC will target 7,000 provincial buses.

Roxas said that bus owners who fail to comply with the memorandum would face a fleet-wide penalty.

He added that the DOTC or LTRFB would consult with road management experts, including those with the University of the Philippines Mechanical Engineering Department, to identify the most ideal speed limiter device.

Integrated Metropolitan Bus Operators Association president Claire dela Fuente declined to comment on the issue, saying she would first consult the group’s members.