Mindanaotoday.com | Bus firm acts on ‘disrespectful’ conductor
By: Jigger Jerusalem
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A conductor attempting to make advances to a female passenger has prompted a bus company to take action against the employee as it reminded its workers to observe courtesy and proper decorum at all times.
In a statement sent to this paper, the management of Rural Transit Mindanao Inc. (RTMI) said it has already suspended the conductor while the company is investigating the incident.
“We sincerely apologize to the aggrieved passenger and we assure that disciplinary action has already been taken while an investigation on the complaint is ongoing,” the RTMI said.
This paper has withheld the names of the persons involved.
According to the passenger on her Facebook post Friday night, Jan. 20, she was on board an RTMI bus bound for the city of Koronadal when the incident happened at around 1:00 a.m. on that same day.
She said the conductor at first asked her personal questions and later on sat beside her and flirted with her, even though she made it clear that she is married and not interested in him.
At first, the passenger said she was polite and answered the conductor’s questions, but later when he became persistent in his advances, she stood her ground and took action.
She even pushed the conductor when he was physically close to her.
“Is this how you treat your passengers, sir? If you won’t stop, I will scream,” she said in Bisayan, adding that at that point, the conductor distanced himself and eventually stood up as there were also passengers getting on board.
“I prayed that a fellow female passenger will take the seat beside me,” she said.
She said she was traumatized by what happened inside the bus.
“Until now I want to cry but I can’t as I have to attend a wedding tomorrow, and I get to sing in that wedding. May God make this heart at ease when I rest tonight,” the passenger added.
In the same statement, the RTMI has apologized for the incident as it maintained that what happened was an isolated case and that all of its workers have been trained to properly handle its passengers.
The company added that the conductor’s action does not reflect the company’s culture of professionalism and integrity.
“In addition, RTMI does not and will never tolerate derogatory and unprofessional actions from our employees as we put utmost value on the safety and well-being of our passengers,” it added.
Reacting to a Facebook post in relation to the incident, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-10 (LTFRB-10) said Saturday, Jan. 21, it is “deeply saddened that they were still driver/s that would do such action to our fellow commuters.”
“For that, we call the attention of RTMI company and invite them to our office to explain their side of this issue. [LTFRB-10] will issue a show-cause order once we are done with our investigation,” the agency added. (MT)
###