Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Central Visayas has decided to strictly implement the ‘No Standing Policy’ in buses that go beyond 15 km from the city due to the possibility of overloading. Bus operators who will get caught will face a fine of PhP5,000 for the first offense.
However, because of the shortage of buses and the fact that ‘standing’ has long been practiced especially during rush hours and peak season, a lot of passengers continue to beg drivers and conductors to let them ride, anyway.
A photo of several bus passengers in Bantayan town in Bantayan Island, located over 132 km north of Cebu City, got viral when they were seen taking up the aisle space by lying on the floor. The hilarious moment was captured by a Facebook user named Lyndon Placencia, a native of Bantayan town, and posted it on his social media account. The caption reads:
“BAWAL ANG MAG BAROG SULOD SA BUS … DI MUHIGDA NALANG … Kagabie while niuli ko padulong sa amoa.”
(Since it is prohibited to stand on the aisle of a fully loaded bus … so we will just lie on the floor … This was taken while I was heading home in a bus.)
In an interview with Cebu Daily News Digital, Placencia said that the next trip was set to leave three hours later, at midnight, from the Cebu North Bus Terminal, so the passengers insisted on boarding the bus even if they had to sit at the stools placed in the aisle.
“Sa wala pa sila misakay puno na ang bus. Unya sila may mi-insist na musakay. Mao to gi ingnan sa conduktor na sa sunod na lang byahe. Unya kay tungod lage nga 12-midnight pa ang schedule sa next trip mao na miingon na lang ang conduktor na sa stall o extension na lang sila molingkod.”
(The bus was already full and they insisted on getting on it. The bus conductor told them the bus was full and that they would have to get on the next bus trip. But since the next trip would still be at midnight, so the conductor allowed the passengers to board the bus and sit on the stool made for a bus or extension.)
While the bus conductor got off the bus during a stop in Jagnaya port to wait for the roro to take them to Bantayan Island, the tired passengers seated at the aisle decided to sleep on the floor. Placencia said that the conductor must have taken pity on them and allowed them to continue to sleep on the aisle.
source: cebudailynews