The Department of Transportation (DOTr) will beef up security measures that will extend beyond bus terminals to ensure safety of all passengers after two passengers aboard a bus bound for Manila were shot dead in Nueva Ecija.

An immediate security audit has been recommended to Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista to ensure that bus terminals can securely handle the influx of passengers during the coming Christmas holiday transport rush.

“The Department is alarmed of this incident. Public utility buses (PUB) must be a safe haven for passengers who just want to travel from one city, province or region to another. From what we have gathered, the gunmen boarded the bus along the way in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya without going through security,” Bautista said.

The transport chief assured the public that the DOTr will enhance security measures to ensure that the Christmas Season will be safe to all commuters who will return to their home provinces.

“We would like to assure the public that their travel going to the province will be safe so you can enjoy Christmas with your families,” he said.

As part of the security measures, the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) regularly conducts security audits on all bus companies, which include installed closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) inside the terminals and even on buses to monitor passenger movement.

To prevent a repeat of the incident, the DOTr mulls the requirement of a GPS and an alarm or emergency connectivity of buses to bus terminals and the bus companies’ offices for quick response, according to Bautista.

Bautista explained that such measure may be required during renewals of franchises of bus companies. DOTr