Lawmaker wants accreditation, salaries for bus drivers

MANILA, Philippines -  A lawmaker is pushing for the passage of a bill that would allow only accredited drivers to drive public utility buses and require bus operators to pay them a fixed monthly salary.

Pwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Rep. Mark Aeron Sambar filed House Bill 4459, the Competence Accreditation Program and Minimum Wage for Bus Drivers Act of 2011. He wants drivers to undergo a training and accreditation program before being allowed to ply the streets.

“Bus drivers are notorious for reckless driving habits of swerving their way through busy traffic or careening through open highways,” Sambar said.

Under the bill, potential bus drivers should pass the theory and hazard perception tests, practical driving test and driver accreditation for professional competence.

The bill mandates the Technical Skills and Development Authority and the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to develop a certification and training program for bus drivers.

Sambar said the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority recorded a total of 4,825 bus accidents, or an average of 13 incidents per day in 2008.

A study by the DOTC showed that 85 percent of road accidents are caused by human error.

Sambar said passenger safety has become secondary for bus drivers, whose incomes depend on the number of trips made and passengers ferried during the day.

He said passengers are left at the mercy of bus drivers who are sometimes ill equipped to drive their buses for several hours straight, he said.