Florida buses suspended for racing

MANILA, Philippines — Fifteen buses operated by GV Florida Transport Inc. have been suspended for 30 days following a viral video showing the vehicles racing along the highway in Nueva Vizcaya.

The video, uploaded by netizen Carlo Carbonel, showed six buses of the GV Florida speeding and overtaking smaller vehicles along the Diadi-Cordon Road.

In his post, Carbonel said the bus drivers virtually turned the highway into a race track.

“Those are six Florida buses, two of them were at the back, trying to catch up,” Carbonel’s post read.

In a separate post, Carbonel clarified that he did not intend to smear the company’s reputation or earn money from the footage after he was accused of editing the video to make it appear that the buses were racing.

“I just wanted the bus drivers to learn a lesson, because they don’t consider the safety of the passengers or the people they share the road with,” he said.

The incident drew public outrage, prompting the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and the Department of Transportation to suspend 15 buses of GV Florida.

The company has apologized for the incident, but Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon rejected it, saying the agency is serious in promoting road safety.