Piston strongly opposes the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) recent pronouncement mandating drug testing for all public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers. While ensuring road safety is crucial, this blanket policy is yet another punitive measure that unfairly targets drivers without addressing the real roots of transport problems.
Mandatory drug testing, especially when implemented without proper safeguards or support systems, is more about surveillance and control than genuine safety. It treats drivers as suspects rather than workers or professionals, ignoring the harsh working conditions, low wages, and lack of state support they face daily. What’s worse, this policy is being rolled out amid ongoing struggles caused by the PUV modernization program — which has already displaced thousands of drivers and operators.
PISTON calls for the adoption of a policy that links fair compensation, job security, and decent working conditions to road safety. It means ensuring that drivers earn enough to live without overworking, are entitled to benefits and protections, and are not penalized for the failures of an unjust transport policy. No amount of drug testing will improve road safety unless drivers are given the time to rest, the pay to live, and the respect they deserve.
The DOTr’s focus on drug testing is a smokescreen. It is being imposed with no free and accessible treatment options and no consultation with the affected sectors. It’s a punitive measure dressed up as reform, scapegoating the poorest sector in the transport industry. There should be accountability not only from the DOTr, but from the transport corporations and huge fleet operators who have turned public transport into a profit machine.
If the DOTr were serious about public safety, it would start by fixing traffic infrastructure, regulating punishing work hours, and ensuring living wages and benefits for drivers especially for long-haul road transport workers. Instead, it adds another financial and psychological burden.
PISTON stands for a public transport system that is progressive, nationalized, and pro-people. Any safety program must respect drivers’ rights and dignity and be built on support, not punishment.