By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
On the heels of a tragic incident at Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) on May 1 which involved a unit of Solid North Transit and has yielded 10 casualties, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) has conducted mandatory drug testing to a total of 740 drivers and conductors of the bus company in its terminal and office in Cubao, Quezon City.
Earlier, Solid North Transit suspended all operations immediately after the fatal multiple-vehicle collision in SCTEX following orders from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) as part of an ongoing probe into the unfortunate event.
“The instruction of [Transport] Secretary Vince [Dizon] is clear, we have to make sure that all their drivers and conductors are drug free before they are allowed to operate,” said LTO Chief ASec. Vigor Mendoza II.
The LTO Chief explained that refusal to undergo drug tests is already a ground for LTO action in so far as the driver’s license is concerned, and noted that driving a public utility vehicle is a privilege being given to individuals that comes with responsibility.
The license of the driver of the Solid North bus which caused the fatal road accident in SCTEX was already revoked after he refused to undergo a drug test after the incident.
Meanwhile, the LTO also subjected all units of Solid North Transit to mandatory roadworthiness testing as part of the agency’s measures to ensure the safety of their passengers and other road users.
“While we have been doing all our efforts for road safety, from quick action against abusive drivers to launching road safety campaigns, cases of road crash in the past days necessitates more concrete preventive actions,” said ASec. Mendoza.
“We understand the concerns of our kababayan on this matter; that is why the mass drug testing and mass inspection of buses of the Solid North will be replicated to other companies and operators, across the country,” he added.
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