By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

A bus company based in Bacolod City clarified over the weekend about a viral photo circulating on social media which shows an overloaded bus in the city’s Libertad Public Market.

Vallacar Transit Incorporated (VTI), the parent company of the Ceres bus liners, said the overloaded bus, with several passengers seated on its roof, was not their unit.

The VTI management said that it is not their practice to put the lives of the general riding public at risk, and they do not engage in overloading their bus units with passengers.

“We are compliant with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s (LTFRB) policies,” the statement said.

For several years, the company had partnered with the modernization program of the LTFRB.

“These programs were implemented to further improve the service that we are providing, as far as the reliability of said service, safety and comfort of the riding public,” it said.

The management said the particular incident was a clear violation of the franchise granted by the LTFRB, and they do not condone the vehicle’s blatant use of VTI’s bus colors.

“This has served to confuse the public and cast wrongful assumptions on the management’s adherence to the regulations set by the LTFRB,” the statement further read.

They have a sufficient number of units to cater to the public’s riding needs, and there is no reason to let them be uncomfortable during their travels, it said.

“Again, we will never allow this incident to happen. We will continue to provide an efficient service to the Negrosanons,” it added./DGB, WDJ