Solid North Transit Suspended After Deadly SCTEX Toll Plaza Crash

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has ordered the immediate suspension of Solid North Transit Inc. after one of its buses caused a tragic multi-vehicle collision at the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) in Tarlac City on Thursday.

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon directed the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to suspend the company’s operations in response to the crash that claimed 10 lives—including four children—and injured 37 others.

Authorities said the bus driver, now in police custody, admitted to falling asleep at the wheel. According to initial investigations, the bus slammed into a Nissan Urvan waiting at the toll plaza, triggering a chain reaction that involved four other vehicles: a Kia Sonet, a tractor head, and a Toyota Veloz.

Police Lt. Col. Romel Santos described the crash sequence, emphasizing that the vehicles were stationary in line for toll payment when the bus plowed into them.

Most of the deceased were passengers of the Nissan Urvan, which was headed to a youth camp in Pangasinan. The survivors, including a toddler who lost both parents in the crash, were brought to the Tarlac Provincial Hospital. The van driver survived but is currently unable to speak.