Probe cop behind illegal buses, Alvarez orders

Transportation Secretary Pantaleon Alvarez has ordered the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to investigate reports that a police official is behind the operation of colorum buses in Metro Manila.

Alvarez said the LTO and the LTFRB must come up with measures that would keep colorum buses off the roads.

"I ask that bus organizations and legitimate bus companies not to deal with syndicates purportedly offering protection. Only the government can provide protection for them," he said.

He directed the two agencies to come up with findings "as soon as possible."

Alvarez made the order in reaction to news reports that a police official heads a syndicate that is operating colorum buses on Metro roads, particularly along EDSA.

At present, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is working to rationalize all bus franchises to identify which of them have expired or not.

The DOTC is also expecting the system to determine the routes that are now crowded with buses and those that are underserved. The agency is now preparing guidelines to implement the program.

According to Alvarez, colorum buses not only rob the government of revenues. They also place the lives of their passengers at risk because they do not undergo proper inspection.– Sheila Crisostomo