The Department of Transportation (DOTr) investigation into the bus crash that killed 30 people was 30 years old. This is twice the age allowed under franchise rules.
News site Rappler reported that the bus’ age recorded on its registration, however, was 11 years old.
“The age of buses should be based on the age of its engine and chassis. Currently, bus age is computed starting from the registration date of the bus,” De Leon was quoted in Rappler.
The April crash, which saw the bus come off a winding road to fall 24 meters (80 feet) into a ravine in the upland province of Nueva Ecija.
In a report by the Associated Press, passenger Ralph Raymond Grajo said that he saw the driver repeatedly stepping on the broken brakes as he lost control of the bus along a downhill road.
According to Rappler, Senator Joel Villanueva said another issue was that there was no alternate driver. Under current rules, the maximum hours a driver can be behind the wheel is 10. But the DOTr recently lowered that to 6 hours.
The time between Isabela and Candon in Ilocos Sur, where the bus was headed, is a 15 hour trip.
With reports from AFP
