MANILA – Bus drivers have been urged to take the free assessment and certification offered by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to ensure the safety of passengers on the road.

This as TESDA Director-General Joel Villanueva welcomed the move of the Department of Labor and Employment and to implement the fixed pay for bus drivers starting July 1.

“Being a TESDA-certified driver will also serve as guarantee to the bus operators that they maintain a pool of qualified drivers, who would be getting fixed salary starting next week,” Villanueva said.

With the TESDA certification, appropriate skills and adequate pay, we believe that there will be less, if not zero accidents, on the road, he added.

Villanueva said he has instructed all offices of the agency nationwide to reserve slots for bus drivers to allow them to avail of the free assessment from July 9 to 20 through the National Technical Vocational Education Training Competency Assessment and Certification.

The TESDA will also conduct two more schedules for the assessment on Aug. 20 to 31 and on Oct. 15 to 26.

Since the TESDA started the assessment and certification on bus drivers, Villanueva said they have certified a total of 3,540 drivers, from the 4,232 who underwent the assessment.

The TESDA gives training to personnel of bus companies which will serve as trainers and assessors of the bus drivers, he said.

Early last year, the Land Transportation Office and the Department of Transportation and Communications mandated all bus drivers in Metro Manila to secure a National Certificate III from TESDA. The agencies aim to get all drivers certified by 2013.

The order came amid incidents of deadly road mishaps traced mostly to reckless driving.

TESDA also promulgated last year the Training Regulations for Driving NC II and NC III to provide the minimum standard for the training of drivers of buses, trucks and articulated vehicles.

The TR prescribes the minimum requirement to be complied with by training institutions in terms of curriculum, equipment, facilities, and trainer’s qualifications.

Meanwhile, following months of study, the DOLE issued Department Order 118-12, which called on bus operators to give fix regular salaries for their drivers instead of basing their pay on the so-called boundary system.

This would fix the working hours of drivers to eight hours a day, giving them adequate rest period so that they do not compromise passenger safety by exceeding working hours.*PNA

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