Senator Raffy Tulfo on Wednesday pressed authorities to strictly enforce the six-hour mandatory daily driving hours for public utility bus (PUB) drivers, which has been in effect since 2017 but remains unimplemented in some bus companies, increasing the risk of accidents.

At the hearing of the committee on public services on bills seeking to safeguard the rights and welfare of commuters, panel chairperson Tulfo stressed that “too much working hours for the drivers” has been a key contributor to rampant road accidents, in which, mostly, the driver fell asleep at the wheel.

Under Memorandum Circular 2017-012 issued by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), PUB drivers cannot drive beyond six hours straight to avoid fatigue.

The memo mandates that bus operators assign a standby driver—not the conductor—who will take over if the trip exceeds six hours.

Non-compliant bus operators could be fined up to P10,000 and suspended for up to 60 days.

Land Transportation Office (LTO) Executive Director, Atty. Greg Pua Jr. told Tulfo that they have been conducting “random inspections” to ensure compliance with the regulations. However, he admitted that they cannot strictly practice it regularly due to a “lack of manpower.”

"We are also studying how much this will cost the operator [because] if we were to make it mandatory, they may suddenly ask for a fare increase,” Pua said, adding that they are also exploring advanced technology to effectively monitor PUB driving hours.

In the United States and Europe, drivers also observed daily driving limits of 11 hours and 9 hours, respectively.

Aside from these lapses, Tulfo also chided the LTFRB and LTO for failing to effectively enforce the Road Speed Limiter Act (RA 10916), which requires the mandatory installation of speed limiters in public utility vehicles, including buses.

Tulfo said this was evident during a surprise inspection of bus stations he led last year.

“Because buses, if they don't have speed limiters, will just keep speeding nonstop, driving as fast as they can...We have to implement this because it was already passed into law in 2016. This will save lives," Tulfo lamented.

Pua countered that there are compliant bus operators, though challenges that may deter others from doing so include the fact that there are only two accredited providers, mandated to install devices that would limit the top speed for PUBs and PUVs like jeepneys and taxis, among others.

Under the law, the accreditation of the speed limiters falls with the Department of Trade and Industry.

“Though I've noticed that other bus companies, even though the LTFRB hasn't required it, have already installed [speed limiters] after it became a law,” Pua averred.

Giovani Simundac, president of the Southern Luzon Bus Operators Association, asserted that all their units, especially the modern buses, are equipped with speed limiters.