Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.
(UPDATE) SANTIAGO CITY — The Department of Transportation, through the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board, has ordered the 30-day suspension of operations for the 15 air-conditioned passenger buses of GV Florida Bus Co. starting June 11.
The suspension was ordered after a video went viral showing six Florida bus units racing against each other along the national highway in Cordon, Isabela-Diadi, Nueva Vizcaya area.
Florida buses plying the Santa Ana, Cagayan, to Sampaloc, Manila, and the Baguio City to Apayao routes are suspended for a minimum of 30 days, the order said.
The June 8 video, uploaded on social media by Carlo Carbonel, already reached 6 million views.
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon, in a statement, said the company buses looked like sports cars racing on the highway and endangering the safety of passengers.
Dizon said that one of the buses caught on video appears to have a franchise route of Baguio-Carmen to Apayao-Carmen and vice versa which, in this case, is out of line.
The company, in a separate statement, said it "sincerely apologize" to the public regarding the "fast-forward footage."
"The content does not align with our company's values and standards. We are currently addressing the matter internally, and we assure the public that the safety and well-being of our passengers is our top priority," the company said.
The video uploader, however, said in his post that the video footage was not enhanced, altered or put into fast-forward mode.