LTFRB cancels franchise of Dimple Star fleet

December 5, 2018

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) ordered the cancellation of 11 franchises constituting the entire fleet of the Dimple Star Bus Company, based on previous incidents of road crashes that resulted in multiple deaths and injuries.

LTFRB chairman Martin Delgra III said Wednesday the franchise cancellation was decided following deliberations made after a Dimple Star bus fell off a cliff in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro on March 20 2018 that left 19 people dead and 21 others injured.

“We are cancelling the franchise of the entire fleet of Dimple Star because of repetitive recklessness in their transport service. One death is already one too many,” Delgra said.

Based on LTFRB records, from 2011 to 2018, Dimple Star Bus Company has been involved in eight road crashes, including the fatal incident in Occidental Mindoro, which led to the deaths of more than 25 people and injuries of 134 others.

"Loss of life due to negligence by a public utility vehicle is not acceptable. Our priority is safety and comfort and those who do not follow rules will be punished," said Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade.

After the fatal crash in March, President Rodrigo Duterte, who visited the crash site, directed LTFRB to impose stiffer sanctions on the company, and to conduct further investigations on the road worthiness of its units.

Initially, LTFRB slapped a 30-day preventive suspension order on Dimple Star buses on the franchise plying the route from San Jose, Occidental Mindoro to Manila. A few days after, upon review of the series of road crashes involving their buses, the LTFRB preventively suspended the entire fleet covering 11 franchises of 118 units, pending compliance with certain terms and conditions on the preventive suspension order. DMS