Transport Leader says 14,000 Provincial Bus Workers Lose Work amidst Pandemic

Provincial Bus Operators Association of the Philippines President Alex Yague said in a statement on Monday, June 20 that around 14,000 workers of provincial bus firms have lost their jobs due to the COVID pandemic. This figure includes drivers, ticket collectors, dispatchers, mechanics, and inspectors.

The pandemic has caused provincial buses to be banned from entering Metro Manila, to have half the capable passenger capacity, and implement cashless fare collection.

Yague said in a statement, “Fourteen thousand na iyong nawalan ng trabaho. Either ito ay mga pinag-retire, inalis na sa trabaho, ni-retrench. Iyong iba naman ay forced leave,”

(Some 14,000 workers have lost their jobs. Either, they were asked to retire or were retrenched. Others were told to go on forced leave.)