LTFRB cancels Dimple Star Bus franchises after deadly crashes

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has cancelled all franchises of Dimple Star Bus Company, nine

months after one of its units figured in an accident in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro, killing 19 persons and injuring 21 others.

LTFRB chairman Martin Delgra III said on Wednesday that the board has ordered to cancel all 11 franchises of the bus company comprising its entire fleet due to previous incidents of road crashes that resulted in multiple deaths and injuries.

In a 29-page order dated December 3, the board said that the certificate of public convenience issued to Dimple Star "are hereby cancelled, revoked, and reverted back to the state."

The transportation agency has also ordered to "destruct and destroy" the yellow plates of all the bus units included in the fleet of Dimple Star prior to their turnover to the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

"We are cancelling the franchise of the entire fleet of Dimple Star because of repetitive recklessness in their transport service. One death is already too many," Delgra said.

Based on the records from the LTFRB, Dimple Star Bus Company has been involved in eight road crashes from 2011 to 2018, which led to the deaths of more than 25 people and injuries of 134 others.

"Kung ikaw ay isang driver, hindi lamang manibela ang hawak mo. Hawak mo rin ang buhay ng mga pasahero mo kaya importanteng pag-ibayuhin mo ang pag-iingat upang masiguro ang kaligtasan nila, (If you are a driver, you are not just holding the steering wheel. You also hold the lives of your passengers so it's important that you take precautionary measures to ensure their safety),” Delgra added.

President Duterte, who visited the road crash site in Occidental Mindoro last March, had ordered a crackdown on all colorum vehicles following the accident. He also directed LTFRB to impose stiffer sanctions on the company and to investigate the road worthiness of its units. Fleet of 11 franchises, 118 units

Initially, the LTFRB slapped a 30-day preventive suspension order on Dimple Star buses plying the route from San Jose, Occidental Mindoro to Manila.

But upon review of the series of road crashes involving their buses, the LTFRB ordered the preventive suspension of the entire fleet covering 11 franchises of 118 units, pending compliance with certain terms and conditions on the PSO.

A closure order was also issued to the bus company last March citing "gross negligence" for "pathetic conditions" of its terminal and buses, and previous accidents involving its units that had killed and caused injury to many passengers.

Built from scrap

In one of its hearings last April, transport regulators were surprised to learn that the Dimple Star bus, which fell into a ravine in Occidental Mindoro after reportedly losing its brakes, was built from scrap materials procured from a junkyard. PUV Modernization Program Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said such incidents are the reason why they are pushing for the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).

"We want to modernize our PUVs to give our citizens a safe, secure and comfortable transport system with disciplined drivers,” he said.

"Hindi katanggap-tanggap angmawalan ng isang buhay dahil lamang sa kapabayaan ng isang PUV (It is unacceptable to lose a life just because of negligence of a PUV)," Tugade pointed out.