No franchise for non-compliant school service vehicles —LTFRB
School service vehicles that fail to comply with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board's requirements would not be given franchise to operate.
GMA News' Saleema Refran on Balitanghali reported Saturday that the LTFRB would only issue franchises to school service vehicles that meet the following requirements:
- the vehicle should be less than 15 years old,
- must have a dash-cam,
- must have a GPS (global positioning system),
- must have a fire extinguisher,
- must have an early warning device,
- must have a medical kit, and
- must have tools for the vehicle
LTFRB chairman Atty. Martin Delgra III last Friday clarified that the requirements do not only cover school service vehicles.
"It is not just for school bus service. Ang patakaran sa ngayon, in so far as public transport is concerned, ay 'yung tinatawag na vehicle age policy."
Those applying for new franchises should show that their vehicles should not be 15 years old and older, must have a dash-cam, and GPS installed on them.
Meanwhile, Alliance of School Service Associations of the Philippines (ASSAP)-Metro Manila president Leonardo Marco said that some of its members are already in the process of installing the devices on their vehicles for security and safety of the schoolchildren.
"Yung mga parent, makikita nila doon kung nasaan na 'yung school service, kung parating na sa kanila or nasa school pa. So, hindi lumilihis ng [ruta]," he said.
On the other hand, Delgra said, "If you have those mandatory gadgets in place, parents could rest assured that their children's safety and convenience are taken care of." All the required gadgets should be in place.
ASSAP-Metro Manila's Leonardo Marco noted that operators have raised service charges by P100 to P200 monthly, and that the lowest rate is at P3,500, depending on the distance between the school and the student's house.
"Ano kami, house to house 'yung mga students, 'yung mga maliliit. May mga kondoktor kami. Pinapalitan ng damit, pinupulbusan kaya special po ang school bus," he said. —LBG, GMA News