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Adopted: 26 June 2015
Date Filed: 30 June 2015
Pursuant to Section 5, paragraph (k) of Executive Order No. 202 empowering the Board “to formulate, promulgate, administer, implement and enforce rules and regulations on land transportation public utilities, standards of measurements and/or design, rules and regulations requiring operators of any public land transportation service to equip, install and provide in their stations such devices, equipment facilities and operating procedures and techniques as my promote safety, protection, comfort and convenience to persons and property in their charges as well as the safety of persons and property within their areas of operation,” the Board hereby mandates and prescribes the Guidelines for the Installation of Global Positioning System (GPS) Device for all Public Utility Bus (PUB) authorized units:

I. OBJECTIVE
This Circular is intended to institute enhancements of PUB service with the use of technology in consonance with modernization program of public land transportation services and in the promotion of road safety.

According to the paper “A Study on Speed Control of Public Utility Buses” prepared by the University of the Philippines - National Center for Transportation Studies (UP-NCTS) Road Safety Research Laboratory, there is a very strong indication that accident severity is very much related to speeds of colliding vehicles. This accident type is caused primarily by tailgating or miscalculation of speed. The study recommends the use of an in-vehicle GPS device in buses. The use of GPS and associated communication system looks more viable in regulating speeding of PUB units.

Further the use of GPS Device informs the Board and the operators about the proper routes and the speed in which a bus is travelling. The GPS Device can also help improve security and safety for passengers and drivers alike. Should a bus go missing for any reason, the device can help bus operators and authorities recover it. Or, it can help operators quickly send a replacement bus to convey the passengers stranded by a broken-down bus.

The provisions of the Circular shall apply to all PUB Service operators nationwide.

II. GPS FLEET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
All GPS devices shall conform with the specifications provided in Memorandum Circular No. 2015-013.

III. GPS DEVICE REGISTRATION PROCEDURES
The operator and/or the accredited provider shall bring the GPS device to the Board for enrollment and registration:

1)	Operators shall only procure the GPS device from the Board’s accredited provider/s;
2)	Operators shall bring to the Board for registration in the system of the GPS device, together with the Certificate of Registration and Official Receipt of the vehicle where the device will be installed;
3)	The Board shall verify if the unit is authorized before registration;
4)	The Board shall encode the GPS Device and Vehicle Information;
5)	After registration, the accredited provider shall install the device under the supervision of the Board’s personnel.

The software application will send queries to the GPS device via SMS and the device should reply correspondingly. The registration system will send the following SMS to the GPS device:

REGISTER[space][password][space][sendingtime][gpsid]

Ex. REGISTER 123456 30 ABCDE 123

• Password: Device password as provided by the device provider.
• Sending time: Interval in seconds where the GPS device sends data to the GPS Logs server.
• GPS ID: Unique ID generated by the GPS registration system assigned to the device.

If registration is successful, the GPS device should send a reply via SMS with the word “OK” and start sending data to the GPS logs server with the given GPS ID and the specified interval time.

IV. DISPLAY OF GPS STICKER

Once the GPS device is installed, the GPS provider shall provide a GPS sticker designed by the Board to be pasted on the windshield of the bus.

V. PASSENGER PARTICIPATION
The accredited provider shall include, as part of the GPS device, any device that would alarm when the speed of the bus exceeds the speed limit provided herein or reflect the actual speed of the bus during the operations and other important details as the case may be.

VI. ALLOWABLE MAXIMUM SPEED LIMIT
The speed limit for provincial buses shall be 80 kilometers per hour (kph). The speed limit for city buses shall be 60 kph except when travelling inside the expressways, in which case their speed limit should be 80 kph.

There is speeding violation when two (2) consecutive reading reflect a speed over the defined speed limit.

VII. PROHIBITION AGAINST THE OPERATOR
Operators shall not allow any of their buses to be operated on the road if they know or have a reasonable belief that the GPS device is not functioning or defective, except for the purpose of bringing the bus to a place where the device is to be repaired or replaced.

If the GPS device becomes defective in transit, the operator shall inform the Board within twenty-four hours from the time thereof. Likewise the operator shall have the device repaired or replaced within five (5) days. The operator shall not allow the unit to be operated during such period.

VIII. SCHEDULE OF INSPECTION
The Board may conduct a random inspection and testing of the accuracy of the installed GPS device according to its sound discretion as may be warranted by the circumstances.

All PUB operators are required to install and register the GPS device on their buses based on the schedule provided below:

1)	For provincial buses entering Metro Manila, September 1, 2015 up to January 31, 2016.
2)	For Metro Manila city buses, January 1, 2016 up to April 30, 2016.
3)	For inter-regional buses not entering Metro Manila, April 1, 2016 up to July 31, 2016.
4)	For intra-regional buses, on or before, July 1, 2016 up to October 31, 2016.

In case of substitution units, the same shall be installed with a GPS device before it is deployed for operation.

For operators with GPS devices already installed on their units, the same should conform with the specifications herein provided and their providers should undergo the accreditation process of the Board. The same procedure for registration, testing and display of GPS sticker shall likewise be followed.

X. NON-CONFIRMATION OF UNITS WITHOUT GPS DEVICE
After the deadline for the installation of GPS device, no unit shall be confirmed if the same has not been installed with a GPS device.

XI. FINES AND PENALTIES

1)	Non-installation of GPS Device in accordance with the above schedule will be penalized on a per unit basis in the amount of P5,000.00 and an additional penalty of P1,000.00 per unit per month after a grace period of 30 days is granted counting from the end of the compliance period.
2)	Tampering of the GPS Device (per operator):
	1st	Offense - fine of P5,000.00
	2nd	Offense - fine of P10,000.00
	3rd	Offense and subsequent offenses - fine of P15,000.00 and suspension of the CPC where the unit belongs for a period of 30 days.
3)	Speed Limit Violation:
	Every speed limit violation shall be penalized in the amount of One Thousand Pesos (Php1,000.00) on a per unit basis. The operator shall also submit a report on the action taken against any driver who has committed at least three (3) speed violations in a single trip.

All other issuances or parts hereof inconsistent herewith are hereby modified, amended or superseded accordingly.

This Circular shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its publication in a newspaper of general circulation. Let three (3) copies be filed with the UP Law Center pursuant to Presidential Memorandum Circular No. 11 dated October 9, 1992.

SO ORDERED. 26 June 2015

Quezon City, Metro Manila.

(SGD) ATTY. WINSTON M. GINEZ, CPA Chairman
(SGD) ENGR. RONALDO F. CORPUS	(SGD) ATTY. ANTONIO ENRILE-INTON, JR.
Board Member	Board Member
Attested by:
(SGD) ATTY. ROBERTO P. CABRERA III Executive Director