The franchise that owns the bus that rammed the back of a truck in the Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) yesterday has been suspended by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
The agency announced this in a statement yesterday and said that it has issued a preventive suspension order on all the buses owned by Jumbo Transport Inc.
Jumbo Transport Inc. is a tourist bus franchise that has 10 units, the LTFRB said in its statement.
It also said that an insurance company initially released PHP400,000 (US$7,656.03) for the victims, pending verification of all claims.
The collision happened early yesterday morning in SCTEx’s northbound lane in the Concepcion, Tarlac area. It involved the bus, which had 50 passengers, and a truck that was carrying a container van.
The incident resulted in five fatalities, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported, and most of the bus passengers were injured. The bus carried government employees who were on their way to a seminar in Baguio City, Rappler wrote.
The bus was said to have been moving fast, while the truck was at 60kph, North Luzon Expressway traffic management chief Robin Ignacio told GMA News. Authorities are investigating whether or not the bus driver fell asleep behind the wheel.
