Two legislators have proposed a law requiring drivers of public utility vehicles (PUVs) to apply for special licenses before they are allowed to drive any form of public transportation, along with harsher penalties for violating traffic laws.
Representatives Mariano Piamonte Jr. and Julieta Cortuna, both of the A-TEACHER partylist, said their measure, House Bill 3832, would help improve the attitude skills of PUV drivers and promote road safety.
A-TEACHER is allied with the National Unity Party through the Coalition for Peace and Development.
Under the proposed law, no public utility driver’s license shall be issued unless the applicant has complied with the mandated 15 days of actual driving examination for public utility train, 5 days for buses, 5 days for public utility jeeps and 3 days for tricycles that will show the actual safe driving habits of the utility bus, jeep or tricycle driver applicant.
HB 3832 also prohibits public utility vehicles from running faster than 60 kilometers per hour. All drivers and or operators of public utility vehicles must ensure that speed meters are functioning while in operation, the measure states.
The bill also calls for harsher penalties for PUV drivers violating traffic laws. Violators will be penalized with three months’ license suspension and fined with P50, 000 for driving without the Utility Driver's License. For violation of any traffic regulation, violators will be slapped with a penalty of three months’ license suspension and fine of P10,000 for first-time offenders; P20,000 fine and six months’ license suspension for the second offense and one- year license suspension and P50,000 fine for succeeding violations.
"It is about time that we introduce an improved system of allowing any person to drive or operate a public utility vehicle," Cortuna stressed in pushing the approval of HB 3832 or the proposed Public Utility Driver’s Licensing Act.
The driver applicant, under the proposed law, should also provide a certificate of safe driving habits issued by an accredited private driving evaluation entity. The measure mandates the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to create a Special Driver's Licensing Division that will administer the issuance of Utility Driver's Licenses.
"Under our proposal, the skills, attitude and driving habits of the applicant will be considered prior to the issuance of a public utility driver's license," Piamonte said.
The bill also requires an applicant to purchase or contract an insurance agreement with a reliable insurance firm to compensate damages, injuries or death to passengers or third parties in case of intentional, wrongful, negligent or accidental injuries in the course of driving a utility vehicle.