LTFRB reactivates ‘Oplan Biyaheng Ayos’ this Lent

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Region (LTFRB-10) has reactivated “Oplan Biyaheng Ayos,” during the Lenten season to make sure Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs) comply with all the regulations required by transport agencies to operate.

LTFRB 10 Regional Director Aminoden Guro said his office operates with combined personnel from the Land Transportation Office 10 (LTO-10) and Highway Patrol Group-10 (HPG-10) in making the rounds of bus terminals and in setting up checkpoints along the highways to implement “Oplan Biyaheng Ayos 2018”

Guro met with bus operators last week to remind them that their units must not only be road-worthy but must also be compliant with the agency’s Omnibus Franchising Guidelines, which requires public buses to have such amenities as global positioning system (GPS), wireless Internet connection (WiFi), dashboard camera, closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera, among others.

Guro said Oplan Biyaheng Ayos also emphasized to bus owners that their drivers must be physically fit to drive, even as he said that buses must have extra drivers on board for units travelling for more than six hours, especially those bound for Zamboanga and other areas in Mindanao.

Francisco Adonis III, Pabama Tours operations manager, said they might consider deploying their buses on Good Friday depending on the demand of the riding public.

As of Tuesday, Guro said the LTFRB10 was able to apprehend 10 vans and a bus operating without proper franchise documents.

He said the vans were bound for Davao, Butuan, Manticao in Misamis Oriental, and Camp Philips in Bukidnon while the bus was operating the MalaybalayKibawe route.

“These confiscated vans and bus have no authority to solicit passengers. They are considered ‘colorum,’” Guro said.

Currently, the vehicles are impounded at the LTFRB-10 compound while legal procedures are being undertaken against the owners and drivers.