A first: ‘Colorum’ bus firm fined P1M

MANILA, Philippines—A provincial bus company whose unit was flagged down on Edsa three months ago became the first to suffer the million-peso penalty imposed by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on “colorum” vehicles.

In an order issued Friday, the LTFRB affirmed its Aug. 14 resolution slapping a P1-million fine on Dalin Liner Inc. for unauthorized operations, particularly for using an expired Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC) and illegally switching license plates.

The company’s troubles began when one of its buses (BBV-149) was flagged down in the Balintawak area on July 9. The bus was then plying the Aparri-Manila route.

On Aug. 29, its officials admitted that the unit had no authority to operate as a public utility vehicle.

The LTFRB order also noted that the company’s authority to operate public utility buses already expired on Nov. 26, 2001.

Aside from the P1-million fine, the apprehended bus would be impounded for three months until the penalties are settled.

The board also canceled the company’s CPC and ordered it to surrender all the yellow plates of its nine buses. The registration of the units were also canceled.

“The respondent shall forever be banned from obtaining any franchise from this board, and [its] units shall not be allowed to be used as public utility vehicles,” the order read.

In a phone interview, LTFRB chair Winston Ginez said the ruling on the Dalin Liner case was the “first released decision imposing the P1-million penalty on a bus [company].”

The million-peso fine is one of the updated penalties for traffic violations, colorum operations and franchise-related violations stated in the controversial Joint Administrative Order No. 2014-001, which the LTFRB issued on June 2.

The order was later challenged by transport groups in the Supreme Court for allegedly being unconstitutional.

Ginez said Dalin Liner had 15 days to make an appeal and could elevate it to Transport Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya.