“Many bus terminals charge for restroom use, why is that? There’s no emergency exit, I don’t want high capacity; arrest everyone exceeding the capacity,” said Senator Raffy Tulfo.

Senator Raffy Tulfo grilled Department of Transportation (DOTr) personnel during the Senate Committee Hearing on Public Services on November 7. This followed his inspection of bus terminals in Metro Manila last October.

He was confronted with issues like insufficient restrooms, lack of security personnel, and more.

However, these issues are not only present in Metro Manila.

During a surprise inspection earlier this morning, November 21, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), together with the Land Transportation Office (LTO), visited bus terminals in Baguio City.

They found the same problems.

Included in the violations were security plan deficiencies.

Engr. Elmer Jr. N. Mendoza, Transportation Development Officer II, LTFRB CAR, stated,” With many people now using public transportation, we need to be stricter. There will be inspections in the coming days.”

The problem is the lack of security plans and clean restrooms in the visited terminals. In some cases, passengers are required to pay to use the restrooms.

“The restroom should be clean, no charge for women’s or men’s restrooms, and they must comply with many requirements. That’s what we saw; also, the terminal was not properly maintained,” Mendoza added.

This bus unit seemed complete, it had a fire extinguisher, CCTV, dashcam, and GPS.

However, when they inspected the fire extinguisher, the label was unreadable because the text was written in a foreign language.

There was also no expiration date on the label, and some extinguishers were expired.

This is a clear violation of Department Order No. 2017-011.

“We warn those who do not comply, no accessories, and there will be corresponding penalties,” Mendoza mentioned.

“The Partas terminal here in Gov. Pack is just renting; we don’t have restrooms. We really need to follow LTFRB and LTO guidelines. This is for the safety of the passengers,” said Levy Quillopo, Terminal Supervisor.

Out of the six bus terminals inspected, only one passed.

This is a concern for passengers like Rico, who frequently notices that buses lack fire extinguishers.

“Some bus companies, I think, if I’m not mistaken, use something like a window breaker, there’s a way to get out,” said Rico Manansala, Commuter.

Now, Senator Raffy Tulfo has given the DOTr one week to address the system issues in the bus terminals as the holiday rush approaches in December.

“If you’re really inspecting the tires, CCTV, etc., and everything is okay, then fire them if they lied,” Tulfo added.

The bus companies flagged for violations will be recommended to the LTFRB main office for further investigation and possible penalties.

**JOSE ROBERT INVENTOR