EDITORIAL - Deadly negligence

As the nation prepared for the annual exodus to the provinces during the Holy Week, a passenger bus careened off a winding dirt road in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro on Tuesday night and plummeted into a ravine. Nineteen people including the driver died.

Survivors reportedly heard the driver shouting that the brakes had failed, which was not unexpected in what police described as a dilapidated bus of the Dimple Star line.

It was not the first time that a Dimple Star bus had figured in a horrific accident. In July 2011, an Alabang-bound Dimple Star bus struck the railing of the Skyway and crashed to the service road below, before the Sucat exit in Parañaque, killing the driver and two passengers. Buses of the company have reportedly figured in at least three other serious accidents in the past seven years.

The company has a fleet of 120 buses, most of which continued to ply their routes yesterday as transport officials investigated the cause of the latest accident and considered possible sanctions.

Dimple Star is not the only bus line with old vehicles. Many parts of the country, especially in rural areas, are serviced by such buses. Operators make sure the buses are full, with less attention paid to regular maintenance. Even with numerous fatal accidents attributed to faulty brakes and other types of mechanical failure, bus operators continue to scrimp on maintenance expenses.

People are aware of the risks but continue to take the buses because of inadequate mass transportation facilities even in cities. Dimple Star will face sanctions but will likely be allowed to resume full operations. Seeing the company getting away with a slap on the wrist will ensure that other bus operators will continue with business as usual. And there will be no significant reduction in the number of fatal accidents due to mechanical failure.