LTFRB suspends bus firm’s P2P services

MANILA, Philippines – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) temporarily suspended a bus firm’s point-to-point (P2P) services on Friday after it was found that it was running with an expired provisional authority (PA) to operate.

LTFRB member and spokesperson Aileen Lizada said the P2P services of Frohlich Tours were suspended after an inspection showed that the company was operating with a PA that expired last September.

Frohlich chief executive officer Chris Bauer said about 10,000 commuters were affected by the suspension of the company’s operations in its four routes plying EDSA.

Lizada said the LTFRB and the company have already ironed out the problem and affected P2P operations are set to resume normal operations this Tuesday.

Bauer added that they are set to file a motion for the release of its franchise or certificate of public convenience (CPC) by tomorrow morning after providing a document from its bank verifying the company’s tax payment for 2015.

The company has also promised its patrons free rides today till tomorrow to compensate for the inconvenience the suspension has caused commuters.

This comes after the company had ceased its operations on Friday following an inspection from an LTFRB enforcer who saw its expired PA.

The inspection was ordered after a video showing a P2P bus plying EDSA without a license plate or conduction sticker reached the LTFRB.

Bauer denied that the company was engaged in colorum operations, despite the fact that they were running services without a PA or a CPC/franchise, stating that the P2P is different from other bus operations.

Regular bus companies are required to have a valid PA pending the resolution of its motion for a CPC, according to Lizada.

“Since the P2P is different from other bus operations, it applies to special rules. It should be a clear picture on both sides. I think what happened there was a misunderstanding on both sides which caused, in effect, the suspension,” Bauer said in a phone interview.

It has been more than a year since Frohlich launched its P2P services.