LTO-7 verbally warns 14 PUBs for 'road unworthy' compliance

CEBU CITY – The Land Transportation Office (LTO-7) issued verbal warnings to 14 public utility buses (PUBs) for failure to ensure roadworthiness and compliance with safety standards, a day before the expected influx of passengers for the long weekend in observance of All Saints, All Souls Day.

"We have recorded 14 buses that failed our roadworthiness test and asked them to return to their garage and fix the issues before they operate again," Caindec said as the agency started its random inspection of public utility vehicles (PUVs) in major terminals in the region to prevent accidents from happening during long holidays such as “Kalag-Kalag” or Undas.

 Caindec revealed that common defects include the reverse lamp, brake system issues, worn out tire, broken windshield, defective seatbelt, colored light, and no tail and brake light, among others. The objective of the terminal inspections is to ensure that public transportation is inspected for road safety compliance.

In an inspection operation on October 27, LTO-7 with the personnel of the Land Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB-7) and Highway Patrol Group (HPG-7) inspected 11 buses at the South Bus Terminal where five failed the inspection.  Nine buses also failed the roadworthiness inspection at the North Bus Terminal from the 13 buses that were inspected.

The said operations are in line with the DOTr-LTO OPLAN Biyaheng Ayos!: Undas 2022 which  covers from October 27 to November 4, 2022.

"We are not issuing them anything yet but rather giving the operators and drivers the chance to correct the defects during the inspection. We want to secure the safety of our riding public especially since more are expected to travel to and from our tourist destinations with our long weekend," Caindec added. (Photos: LTO-7)