MANILA, Philippines – Global Positioning System (GPS) gadget providers who wish to participate in the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) pilot test for speed regulation of public buses have until Tuesday, March 31 to register and test their gadgets.
The LTFRB announced on March 4 that is it aiming to pilot test GPS gadgets on select buses by the second quarter of the year, to help abate accidents due to overspeeding buses.
GPS providers have to submit their system to the LTFRB’s Information Systems Management Division (ISMD), as part of a program to equip all PUBs with the system to regulate the speed limit.
The University of the Philippines-National Center for Transportation (UP-NCTS) recommended the use of GPS device as the best and most viable option to regulate bus speed in minimizing road accidents, thus prompting LTFRB to conduct the pilot test.
The current speed limit along expressways is 80 kilometers per hour (kph); the speed limit in urban areas is 60 kph.
Based on the UP-NCTS study, commuting by public transport is much riskier than by car, with bus passengers exposed to a higher accident risk.
Passengers of PUBs are 6 times more at risk than those in cars, and 5 times more than those riding jeepneys or taxis and UV express services, based on the study’s calculation of the accident rate per vehicle for each mode of transport.
LTFRB chairman Winston Ginez said all GPS providers must secure certification from LTFRB that they have passed the testing process before they can install it in a bus of their choice for actual testing.
An in-vehicle GPS device and communication system that will continuously send speed and location data to the control center will be installed in all PUBs.
A bus will then be tagged as speeding when the in-vehicle GPS device exceeds the imposed speed limit.
Bus passengers can also monitor real-time bus speed through an on-screen display system installed in the bus.
The LTFRB met with GPS providers in February to present the final specification and registration of the GPS device to the agency’s system.
It also consulted with bus operators in 2014. Jam Liner Incorporated, volunteered to install a prototype GPS system to test in one of its units.
The tests, in coordination with the Department of Science and Technology-Advance Science Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) and the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), are ongoing and can be viewed “live” with the LTFRB’s systems. – Rappler.com
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