LTFRB suspends license of Byron Bus Lines

A passenger bus company was suspended from operating yesterday after 26 people were killed onboard one of its buses that crashed in Benguet province.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board suspended Byron Bus Line’s franchise for 30 days.

LTFRB Chairwoman Elena Bautista has also ordered Byron Bus to bring its fleet of 51 buses to the Land Transportation Office’s main Quezon City office for roadworthiness tests.

Because of the suspension, Byron Bus must secure a permit from the LTFRB before it can deliver its units to the LTO. It cannot transport any passengers during the trip, Bautista said.

Byron Bus ferries passengers between Pangasinan and Benguet provinces.

A Byron Bus headed for Dagupan City in Pangasinan crashed near the town of Tuba in Benguet last Wednesday. Seventeen people were injured, at least seven of them seriously.

Police said the bus was negotiating a steep downhill segment of Marcos Highway when the driver lost control. The bus slammed into a roadside boulder and flipped over, killing most of the passengers on the spot.

The crash was so violent, the bus was almost completely destroyed. Its roof was torn off.

Investigators are trying to determine if the bus suffered a brake malfunction or if reckless driving was the cause.

Inspector Johnny Gaspar, of the Tuba police, said the stretch of road is notorious for mishaps.

The families of the fatalities will receive P60,000 each and the injured P12,500 each in insurance, Bautista said.

The Philippine National Red Cross extended assistance to the crash victims and their families. Red Cross personnel rushed to the accident site and brought the injured to a hospital in Baguio City, 10 kilometers away.