Six more bus operators will have a lot of explaining to do after their conductors apparently did not honor the agreement to give discounts to all their passengers under the service contracting program.

The agreement under the service contracting program is for the transport operators to give P20 percent discount to all regular passengers and a total of 40 percent discount to senior citizens, persons with disabilities and students.

But in the case of the summoned bus operators, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said only senior citizens, persons with disabilities and students were given the fare discount.

“This would be an opportunity for them to explain and on the part of the LTFRB, this would be an opportunity to send a strong message on accountability for not following the fare discount rules under the service contracting program,” said Mendoza.

In the SCO, the operators were mandated to bring with them the driver and the conductor involved in the complaint and to submit a written explanation as to why their participation in the program should not be suspended or cancelled.

Each of the summoned operators were provided with complaint and proof of the failure to grant fare discount.

Earlier, the LTFRB summoned a bus operator after a netizen exposed that he was not given the fare discount.

This triggered intense monitoring and at the course of that, Mendoza said they caught more conductors not honoring the fare discount rule.

Mendoza reminded the discount under the service contracting program was already paid by the government, and as such, they are entitled to fight for that right.

He assured them that all complaints relating to fare discount system will be immediately attended to by the LTFRB, as he warned that violating transport operators may be booted out of the program and may even lose their franchise.