BACOLOD City – The Vallacar Transit Inc. (VTI), the operator of Ceres buses, has diverted its Antique-bound vehicles plying Bukid routes to Baybay (Dao) to avoid the curved road that recently claimed the lives of 19 passengers and wounded nine others and one pedestrian.
The road, dubbed by locals as the “killer curve,” is situated in Barangay Igbucagay.
VTI, in a statement, said it wrote to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) expressing its desire to put the safety of their passengers from experiencing the same fate.
“The stigma is too much to handle for the employees of the company considering that four of our own employees were victims of the said incident,” the management cited.
The management will continuously improve its efficient service to provide a safe, comfortable, and reliable journey to the riding public, the statement added.
VTI assured the riding public that Iloilo West Branch has not been remiss in its duties and responsibilities as a public carriage, and its drivers exercise extraordinary diligence with due regard for all the circumstances to ensure that the passengers are carried safely as far as human care and foresight can provide.
“Our maintenance is conducting a daily routine check-up, and the BLOWBAGETS are strictly imposed in the pre-departure area. The unit that is found defective during the mandatory check-up is not allowed to depart from the terminal,” the statement added.
BLOWBAGETS is a simple checklist that all drivers can follow to ensure that they are in good condition to drive and that their vehicles are safe for the road. It stands for battery, lights, oil, water, brake, air, gas, engine, tire, and self.
The VTI-Iloilo West Branch, which mostly caters to the transportation needs of the riding public in the entire province of Antique, has 31 franchises, including the franchise of the unit involved in the Dec. 5 accident.
“The Dec. 5 accident was the biggest accident the company encountered for the past 54 years of its existence in the transportation industry,” the VTI said.
The management is strictly implementing rules and regulations in its daily operations and has been compliant with the policies imposed by the local government units and various government agencies, VTI added.
The management values the sacredness of human lives, the statement further said.
It added that the best medical assistance has been extended to the injured passengers, and the management has continuously reached out to the bereaved families by giving financial assistance to express its heartfelt sympathy./PN
