By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz
MANILA – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) summoned a bus company after a viral post alleged that passengers were made to wait for three hours before their bus began its journey from the VTX terminal in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.
In a statement on Thursday, LTFRB Chair Vigor Mendoza II said the behavior shown by the bus driver and conductor of A&B Liner Inc. was “unacceptable and insulting” based on a viral social media post by Tino Olivarez.
“Lokohan at bastusan ang lengguwaheng alam ng konduktor at driver, bibigyan natin sila ng leksyon to send (They used misleading and disrespectful language, we will teach them a lesson by sending) a strong message that this kind of behavior is not tolerated and must be corrected,” Mendoza said.
According to the post, Olivarez boarded a bus bound for Lucena City at around 10 p.m. along with other passengers.
After waiting for an hour, they asked what time the bus would leave and the conductor assured that they would leave soon.
At around 12:30 a.m. the conductor began giving tickets to passengers and assured that they were about to leave.
After three hours of waiting, a passenger asked to refund the fare but was told it was not allowed by the conductor.
The incident was later reported to Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez who ordered Mendoza to investigate the incident.
In the show cause order (SCO) issued to the bus company, they have 10 days to explain in writing why their franchise should not be suspended or cancelled for failure to provide comfortable services to commuters.
They were ordered to appear at a hearing at the LTFRB Central Office in Quezon City on March 19, 2026.
“We are giving them the opportunity to explain their side as part of the due process. What we can assure is that the LTFRB is always on the side of the commuter in cases of abuses and wrongdoings,” he said.
He also called on the public to report any violation or abuses by public utility vehicle (PUV) operators and drivers.
“Let us not allow this to happen. All our kababayan (people) must do is to report and document their complaints and we will take care of the rest,” he said.
The SCO was issued amid the LTO’s intensified nationwide surprise inspections of bus and other PUV terminals to ensure their compliance with rules and regulations that ensure comfort and adequate facilities for passengers.
To date, more than 120 bus and PUV terminal operators have been issued with SCOs and notices of violations throughout the country. (PNA)
