Regular Pay and Black Boxes Proposed
By Online Staff
Posted : 8/28/2009
The Department of Transportation and Communication is looking into a proposal which will implement a monthly salary for bus drivers instead of the usual commission-based pay they are receiving from the operators.
Secretary Leandro Mendoza said this will discourage drivers to drive recklessly in order to have more passengers and earn more money at the end of the day.
But Mendoza admits they are powerless to carry out the proposal because of the existing labor laws, adding that they are set to consult bus operators on the matter.
He also said that the operators are not very open to the idea because it might encourage drivers to cut trips or simply waste time and wait until the end of their shift.
The fixed salary scheme was earlier proposed by former LTFRB Chair Thompson Lantion after a series of road accidents involving buses in 2008, but it was opposed by bus operators.
Claire dela Fuente, Head of the Integrated Metro Bus Operation Association or Imboa suggested that the government must implement stiffer penalties to erring bus drivers instead.
In related news, the DOTC yesterday made a proposition to install back boxes in buses, similar to the ones installed in airplanes and large trucking companies.
Mendoza says this will inform the operator that one of their drivers is overspeeding.
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The Department of Transportation and Communication is looking into a proposal which will implement a monthly salary for bus drivers instead of the usual commission-based pay they are receiving from the operators. 
