JAM services much better now

The article titled “Metro Manila’s most dangerous buses” (Metro, 1/15/14)  may have been based on an accident report submitted to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board for 2010 and the first half of 2011. The three-year-old report, however, does not accurately reflect the current excellent performance of JAM Liner.

In that report, JAM was named No. 3 in the list of bus companies “with the highest number of accidents which led to deaths and injuries among both passengers and bus personnel.”

Since then, JAM has more than redoubled its efforts to upgrade passenger safety through the following measures:

1. Professionalization of its bus captains and bus attendants through a variety of workshops coordinated with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, the Philippine Red Cross, and other in-house training with focus on upgrading passenger service.

2. Compliance with DOLE Order No. 112 which directs the removal of the “boundary” system. Instead, we have established a pay scheme:  a fixed daily rate of P327.50 plus performance-based incentive with the following criteria: (a) no accident, (b) customer service, (c) bus cleanliness, (d) fuel efficiency, (e) no violations. This is to ensure that our bus captains operate at optimal driving conditions.

3. Professionalization of its management committee: recruitment of veteran professionals in their respective fields of operations, maintenance, safety and security.

4. Installation of a Global Monitoring System in all its buses, to track the speed of all buses in real time and to record any detours from the given routes.

5. Upgrading of its bus fleet—use of high-quality brake linings/system, installation of circuit breakers, brand-new Nissan/Daewoo units.

6. Rigorous maintenance checks undertaken before each bus leaves the terminal; painstaking regular maintenance checks of all buses to determine their roadworthiness. JAM in fact has signed a landmark agreement with Bridgestone Tires to regularly check and maintain all the tires used in its fleet.

7. Creation of an Emergency Preparedness Manual and implementation of emergency drills focused on the prevention of a variety of emergencies.

8. Creation of a Quick Response Team, composed of a mobile ambulance and a fire engine, manned by registered nurses and first aiders/first responders accredited by the Philippine Red Cross.

9. Continuous recruitment of more lady bus drivers in support of a Metropolitan Manila Development Authority project and subjecting all existing drivers and driver applicants to personality tests in order to minimize accidents, after a recent research indicated that introverts are more likely to cause road accidents.

As a result, JAM is proud to say that the number of accidents involving JAM buses in 2013 dramatically decreased by more than 50 percent.

We therefore respectfully request that accident records—especially those released to media—be updated to correctly reflect the many substantial efforts undertaken by the men and women in the JAM Liner team to provide the highest standard of passenger service in the country.

—DENNISE C. TRAJANO,

president, JAM Liner