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Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon vowed that Solid North Bus Transit Inc. will face “severe consequences” after one its units figured in a fatal crash along the Subic–Clark–Tarlac expressway (SCTEX).
“There are both administrative consequences, and in the case of death and injuries, criminal consequences. For the bus company involved yesterday, pasensyahan po tayo (you’ll have to excuse me),” said Dizon in a statement on Friday, May 2.
“I’ve asked the officials here to file the necessary criminal charges against the bus company and the bus driver involved in the accident yesterday,” he added.
On Thursday, May 1, a Solid North bus plowed into four vehicles at SCTEX along Tarlac City, leaving 10 people dead and 37 others injured.
Dizon immediately ordered the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to issue a suspension order against Solid North Bus.
On Friday, the secretary said he instructed the agency to file criminal charges against the bus driver and the bus company.
He likewise ordered the suspension of the company’s entire fleet, which is around 300 buses, while the investigation is ongoing.
To prevent similar incidents, Dizon is pursuing a thorough review of existing road safety protocols to ensure commuter safety and convenience.
The DOTr chief, in a meeting with bus companies, said it is vital for operators to ensure that their drivers are fit to drive.
Mandating drug tests and breath analyzer for drivers, as well as enforcing rules on driving hours were floated as potential measures.
“Clearly, the status quo is not working. We have all failed, government and bus companies, we have all failed the commuting public and we all have to share the burden and do something about it,” Dizon said.
