Bus speed limiter to be pilot tested by 2nd quarter

MANILA, Philippines - The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will pilot test the global positioning system (GPS) gadget that will regulate the speed limit of public utility buses (PUBs).

 

"Sobra nang nakakabahala ang sunud-sunod na aksidente sa ating mga pangunahing lansangan na nagdudulot ng kapinsalaan sa publiko dahil sa walang pakundangan at kaskaserong pagmamaneho ng mga bus drivers kaya naman maglulunsad ang LTFRB ng programa para limitahin ang bilis ng takbo ng mga PUBs," LTFRB chairman Winston Ginez said.

 

The GPS device was the best and most viable option recommended under the "Study on Speed Control of PUBs" conducted by the UP National Center for Transportation Studies (UP-NCTS) in October last year.

 

Ginez said that the GPS device will be first tested on selected buses in the second quarter of the year.

 

"Ang GPS device na ito ay isa sa mga paraan na ipapatupad ng Board upang mabawasan ang mga road accidents involving PUBs, na ayon sa UP-NCTS study ay nakapagtala ng pinakamataas na aksidente sa ating mga lansangan," Ginez said.

 

Based on study, commuting by bus is six times more at risk of accident than by car and five times more than a jeepney or taxi or utility vehicle (UV) express service.

 

Using vehicle registration data for 2010 from the Land Transportation Office, accident rate per 10,000 registered vehicles shows that deaths, injuries and other damages to properties as a result of bus accidents that reached 10,826.

 

"This study validates that there is an urgent need to regulate bus speed to prevent more road accidents from happening on our roads and ensure safety of the riding public," Ginez said.

 

The current speed limit along expressways is 80 kilometer per hour while in urban areas the speed limit is 60 kph.  The study recommends maintaining these limits but must be closely monitored and controlled using a GPS device.

 

"The use of GPS and associated communication system looks more viable considering cost and the ease in implementation and regulation," the UP-NCTS said in the study.

 

An in-vehicle GPS device and communication system that will continuously send speed and location data to control center will be installed in PUBs.

 

A bus will be tagged as speeding when the in-vehicle GPS device exceeds the imposed speed limit. Bus passengers can also monitor real-time speed of the bus through an on-screen display system installed in the bus.

 

Ginez said the Board will continue to improve the device based on the results of the pilot test, including the establishment of effective communication protocols and reliable control center, as well as how to efficiently transmit and issue citations and violation tickets to over speeding bus units tagged by the device.