Bus operators told to give drivers regular salaries

CEBU bus operators are being advised to give their drivers a fixed salary so as to discourage them from over speeding just to get more passengers.

Capitol’s head of traffic management Jonathan Tumulak noted that some bus drivers only receive a percentage of their bus’ total earnings for the day, which prompts them to overspeed to complete more round trips in order to earn more.

“It will really help a lot because the drivers will not anymore rush to have more trips. At least, they will have a fixed salary rate,” said Tumulak in Cebuano.

Tumulak said that this could prevent several road accidents caused by overspeeding from happening.

Earlier, a tricycle and a minibus collided in Compostela town last Saturday, leaving at least two women dead.

The accident was reportedly the result of two minibus drivers racing to pick up passengers waiting along the national highway.

Tumulak cited an order of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in 2012, which provided a fixed salary scheme and benefits for bus drivers.

The implementation of the DOLE order was temporarily halted by the Supreme Court.

Julie Flores, chairman of the Cebu Provincial Bus and Mini Bus Operators Cooperative, however, clarified that contrary to Tumulak’s observations, bus operators already paid their drivers minimum wage since 2016.

The drivers, he said, also received incentives and job security.

“Ang mga bus drivers karon nag salary na man na sila despite the fact nga broken time na sila,” he said.

Flores added that operators were also mandated to give their drivers seminars on how to avoid accidents.

There are at least 45 bus operators in Cebu province.