DOTC, LTFRB mull 40-kilometer-per-hour speed limit for buses

Interkaksyon.com, citing data from the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), reports that in 2011 alone  bus accidents killed 74 people and injured on another 300.***

As such, in the bid to curb road mishaps in Metro Manila, DOTC Secretary Mar Roxas revealed that the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will require public utility bus (PUB) operators to install speed limiters in their vehicles. According to the report, the PUBs will soon be subject to a 40-kilometer-per-hour speed limit. Roxas explained: "These are mechanical gadgets that will be attached to the engines and transmission of buses that will physically limit the maximum speed at 40 kilometers per hour, the implementation of which will be done on a staggered basis."

The report noted that each speed limiter will cost P10,000 and the cost "would be borne by the PUB operator." The report also added: "After covering Metro Manila operators, the LTFRB will expand the speed limit to include provincial PUB operators. Four thousand PUBs ply Metro Manila, with another 7,000 units fielded by provincial PUB operators."

***Note: The report did not indicate if this number was for Metro Manila alone. Based on the subsequent passages of the article, we presumed that it was for Metro Manila.

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