Owner, driver wanted by LTO for violating EDSA busway 307 times

Who says that only motorcycle riders are the kamote on the road? Well, this driver proves them wrong. Just recently, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) has placed a sports utility vehicle (SUV) under alarm after it was found to have illegally used the EDSA Busway on more than 300 occasions since 2022. Since November 2023, violating the EDSA busway corresponds to a PHP 5,000 fine for the first offense, up to PHP 30,000 plus revocation of driver’s license on the fourth offense.

LTO Chief, Assistant Secretary, Atty. Vigor Mendoza II announced that a Show Cause Order (SCO) has been issued to the registered owner of the Mitsubishi Montero Sport, a resident of Quezon City. Mendoza stated the SCO was an “immediate response” to a request for assistance from the MMDA Chairman, Atty. Don Artes, regarding this ‘repeat offender’ on the exclusive bus lane.

“We’ve already identified the registered owner, and our investigation will also determine who was driving this vehicle during its 307 illegal entries into the EDSA Busway,” said Mendoza.

According to a letter from Chairman Artes to the LTO, 14 of the 307 violations were captured by CCTV cameras since the No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP) was reimplemented last month. Further verification revealed the Mitsubishi Montero’s registration was last updated in August 2022; in other words, it is being driven with an expired registration.

The SCO directs the registered owner to appear with the driver and submit a written explanation. They face potential penalties for various offenses. The driver faces violations including multiple Disregarding Traffic Signs (DTS) and obstruction of traffic, along with being an “Improper Person to Operate a Motor Vehicle” under Section 27(a) of Republic Act 4136.

The registered owner also faces a violation of the Compulsory Registration of Motor Vehicles (Section 5 of RA 4136).

The SCO also states that the Mitsubishi Montero will be temporarily placed under alarm, prohibiting any and all transactions involving the vehicle during the investigation. Failure to appear or submit the required explanation will result in the case being decided based on available evidence.

LTO Chief Mendoza has assured the MMDA of immediate and regular feedback regarding the ongoing investigation.