Mandatory GPS Installation for PUBs

The Circular is intended to enhance PUB service through the use of technology.
The Circular is aligned with the modernization program of public land transportation services.
The Circular promotes road safety by supporting speed-related accident prevention and monitoring.
The Circular uses GPS and associated communication to support traffic enforcement and operational oversight for safety of passengers and drivers and protection of persons and property.

The Circular applies to all PUB service operators nationwide.
Compliance covers all PUB authorized units that operate in provincial, city, inter-regional, and intra-regional services under the Circular’s speed and installation schedule.
For substitution units, the Circular requires GPS installation before the unit is deployed for operation.
For operators with GPS devices already installed, the Circular requires conformity with the Circular’s specifications and completion of the Board’s accreditation process for providers, together with GPS registration, testing, and GPS sticker display.

All GPS devices used for PUBs must conform with the specifications in Memorandum Circular No. 2015-013.
GPS device compliance is implemented through device registration, Board verification, and Board-supervised installation.

The operator and/or the accredited provider must bring the GPS device to the Board for enrollment and registration.
Operators must procure GPS devices only from the Board’s accredited providers.
Operators must bring to the Board the GPS device for registration together with the Certificate of Registration and the Official Receipt of the vehicle where the device will be installed.
The Board must verify that the unit is authorized before registration.
The Board must encode the GPS Device and Vehicle Information into the registration system.
After registration, the accredited provider must install the device under the supervision of the Board’s personnel.
The software application communicates with the GPS device via SMS queries, and the device responds accordingly.
Successful registration is performed by sending the GPS device this SMS format: REGISTER[space][password][space][sendingtime][gpsid].
The registration SMS requires:
- password as the device password provided by the device provider,
- sendingtime as the interval in seconds where the GPS device sends data to the GPS logs server,
- gpsid as the unique ID generated by the GPS registration system assigned to the device.
After successful registration, the GPS device must send a reply via SMS with the word “OK” and must begin sending data to the GPS logs server using the provided GPS ID and specified sending interval.

After installation, the accredited provider must provide a GPS sticker designed by the Board.
The GPS sticker must be pasted on the windshield of the bus.
The accredited provider must include in the GPS system any device that:
- alarms when the bus speed exceeds the speed limit set in the Circular, or
- reflects the actual speed of the bus during operations and other important details as applicable.

The speed limit for provincial buses is 80 kilometers per hour (kph).
The speed limit for city buses is 60 kph.
City buses must have a speed limit of 80 kph when traveling inside the expressways.
A speeding violation exists when two (2) consecutive readings show a speed over the defined speed limit.

Operators must not allow any bus to operate if the operator knows or has a reasonable belief that the GPS device is not functioning or is defective.
The prohibition has an exception only for purposes of bringing the bus to a place where the device will be repaired or replaced.
If the GPS device becomes defective in transit, the operator must inform the Board within twenty-four (24) hours from the time the defect occurs.
If the GPS device becomes defective in transit, the operator must repair or replace the device within five (5) days.
During the repair or replacement period, the operator must not allow the unit to be operated.

The Board may conduct random inspection and testing of the accuracy of installed GPS devices using its sound discretion based on warranted circumstances.
PUB operators must install and register GPS devices according to the schedule below:
- Provincial buses entering Metro Manila: September 1, 2015 up to January 31, 2016
- Metro Manila city buses: January 1, 2016 up to April 30, 2016
- Inter-regional buses not entering Metro Manila: April 1, 2016 up to July 31, 2016
- Intra-regional buses: on or before July 1, 2016 up to October 31, 2016
For substitution units, GPS installation must occur before deployment for operation.
Operators whose units already have GPS installed must ensure their devices conform to the Circular’s specifications and require their GPS providers to undergo the Board’s accreditation process.
Registration, testing, and GPS sticker display must be done for already-installed systems in the same manner required for new compliance.

After the deadline for GPS installation, no unit may be confirmed if the unit has not been installed with a GPS device.

Non-installation in accordance with the schedule is penalized on a per unit basis:
- PHP 5,000.00 for non-installation, and
- an additional PHP 1,000.00 per unit per month after a grace period of 30 days, counted from the end of the compliance period.
Tampering of the GPS device is penalized per operator as follows:
- 1st offense: PHP 5,000.00
- 2nd offense: PHP 10,000.00
- 3rd offense and subsequent offenses: PHP 15,000.00 and suspension of the CPC where the unit belongs for a period of 30 days
Speed limit violations are penalized at:
- PHP 1,000.00 per unit per speed limit violation.
For speed limit violations, the operator must 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 that are inconsistent with the Circular are modified, amended, or superseded accordingly.