LTO eyes 'warning system' during weather disturbances, other calamities for buses, other PUVs
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is eyeing a “warning system” for passenger buses and other public utility vehicles (PUVs) in times of weather disturbances and other calamities in a bid to ensure the safety of the commuters
LTO chief Vigor Mendoza II said the warning system is aimed at giving PUV operators and drivers a heads up of the weather and road conditions in their routes especially during strong weather disturbances like the recent typhoon “Egay” which shut down some roads in northern part of Luzon.
Mendoza said the warning system is similar to the no-sea travel policy being imeplemented by the Philippine Coast Guard.
“Our objective is to give PUV drivers, especially bus drivers, a heads-up of the road condition in their routes so that appropriate measures should be taken for commuters’ safety,” Mendoza said.
He said the initial step is to have a egular coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and local disaster risk reduction management offices through LTO’s regional and district offices for information dissemination on road conditions on PUV routes.
Mendoza said they also want to have a list of roads that are landslide and flood-prone during weather disturbances.
Mendoza assured the public that LTO enforcers would be deployed across bus and other PUV terminals so that drivers and commuters will immediately be advised as to the condition of the roads whenever there is a typhoon.
“If it requires that we deploy our enforcers to bus and other PUV terminals to prevent them from travelling, so be it. We will do it because your LTO is mandated to ensure land transportation safety and the safety of our kababayan in general,” Mendoza said.