LTO, DOTC set stiffer fines on colorum vehicles

By Paul Rillorta

BAGUIO CITY – The joint administrative order of the Land Transportation Office and Dept. of Transportation and Communication providing stiffer fines and penalties to those who violate land transportation regulations is now up for implementation.

JAO No. 2014-01 increased the fines and penalties for land transportation violations including those operating as colorum.

Colorum as defined in the JAO are motor vehicles under the following circumstances which includes, private motor vehicles operating as public utility vehicles (PUV) without proper authority from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), PUV operating outside of its approved route without a proper permit.

PUV’s operating differently from its authorized denomination is also colorum or those approved as school service but operating as UV express or approved tourist bus transport but operating as city or provincial bus.

PUV’s with suspended or cancelled Certificate of Conveyance (CPC) with an order of suspension or cancellation as executory and expired CPC without a pending application for extension of validity timely filed before the LTFRB.

Penalties for colorum vehicles for the first offense is 1 million for buses, P200,000 for trucks, P50,000 for jeepneys, P200,000 for vans, P120,000 for sedan and P6,000 for motorcycles.

For the second offense, all CPC’s of the operator will be revoked and the disqualification of the operator or in the case of a corporation, all its stockholders and directors will be disqualified to operate any kind of public land transportation.

This will also include the blacklisting of all authorized units of the operator from being used as a public utility vehicle and the revocation of the registration of all authorized units of the operator.

Refusal of any PUV to render service to the public or convey passengers to their destination comes with it a fine of P5,000.00 for the first offense, P10,000 for the second offense and impounding of motor vehicle for 30 days and P15,000 for the third and subsequent offenses and cancellation of CPC.

The overcharging and undercharging of fare will have a fine of P5,000.00 for the first offense, P10,000 for the second offense and impounding of motor vehicle for 30 days and P15,000 for the third and subsequent offenses and cancellation of CPC.

For discourteous and arrogant drivers, a fine of P5,000 will be imposed for the first offense, P10,000 for the second offense and P15,000 for the third and subsequent offenses.

PUV drivers who fail to provide fare discounts to those entitled under existing laws and pertinent memorandums of the LTFRB will be fined P5,000 for the first offense, P10,000 for the second offense and P15,000 for the third and subsequent offenses.

Operators and drivers who fail to display no smoking signage in their vehicles and allow smoking inside the vehicle will be fined P5,000 for the first offense, P10,000 for the second offense and P15,000 for the third and subsequent offenses among others.

The city council called on representatives of the DOTC and LTO to shed light on the joint Administrative Circular 2014-01 which started implementation June this year. 

As per the JAO, a nationwide task force will be composed of the LTFRB and LTO enforcers who are authorized to apprehend violators of said offenses. 

Meantime, Atty. Robert Basco of the DOTC-CAR said a memorandum was also issued by the Assistant Secretary of the LTO creating a body that is going to investigate cases filed against implementors of the JAO if there be any.