Joanna Jesh Transport

Etymology

Joanna Jesh Transport was taken from the names Joanna and Jessa. The eldest was said to be named Joanna Marie de Guzman Mahilac, while the second one was Jessa de Guzman Mahilac. These were the daughters of Crisinciano E. Mahilac, sole founder and owner of the company.

History

Founded in 2003 by Crisinciano E. Mahilac, a former Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) in Saudi Arabia (where the trademark KSA is found inside the bus units), the company started to operate 8 Japayuki buses and 2 ordinary buses for FTI-Navotas route. But the company decided to change these units into all ordinary buses when the company bought two ordinary Daewoo buses, and later, 14 UD Nissan Diesel and 4 Hino ordinary units (in addition with its only one Japayuki unit, which was converted into ordinary). There were additional 10 bus units (UD Nissan Diesel and Hino) which were named as Amtrak Transport Inc. (but the name changed after the serious road accident), plying Baclaran-Navotas route.

Issues and criticisms

A serious accident involving Joanna Jesh Transport and Commuters Bus Corp. shocked the commuters and some stand-by people waiting inside the loading/unloading bay at EDSA-Santolan northbound lane. On October 21, 2008, two Joanna Jesh bus units (with one named Amtrak Transport) with plate numbers TYG-660 and TYF-868 respectively were racing each other when a Commuters Bus Corp. unit (TXE-812) which was at their front stopped outside the loading/unloading bay under the MRT Santolan station to unload the passengers. This resulted to a collision of the first Joanna Jesh bus to the Mercedes Benz sedan car, killing Dr. Francisco Sarabia, an eye specialist, and injuring four other people (including the conductors Salvador de Guzman and Laurentino Bedino), which resulted in burning of the car. The driver, Martinito Madrid, was arrested, together with two other drivers (one from Commuters) by the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) and were placed under the custody of the police. Madrid was charged with reckless driving resulting in homicide, but he was set free temporarily after paying a bail for his offense.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) lifted a thirty-day suspension against Joanna Jesh Transport and Commuters Bus Corp. and the operation of the bus units of both companies were grounded. However, the suspension against them were considered "premature". The bus drivers of the mentioned companies were given a three-day training at National Center of Transportation Studies in University of the Philippines(UP) in Diliman. They were put under drug testing as a prerequisite to normal operations of the company.

According to Atty. Omar Mayo, lawyer of the bus company, he claimed that Joanna Jesh Transport did not violate any franchise laws. Mayo disputed and questioned the suspension and the so-called "use of illegal and unauthorized business name" as a sanction against the company. This evidence was supported by QCPD Traffic Sector Police Officer 2 Renato Sunga. According to Sunga, as based on the investigation, the Commuters Bus unit was responsible for the traffic violation because the driver stopped the bus outside the loading/unloading bay to load/unload the passengers.

Last November 10, 2008, a few days before the end of the preventive suspension against Joanna Jesh, LTFRB decided to lift up the suspension after the retraining of the bus drivers and due to the petition of the company to curb out the suspension. But still, according to Manny Mahipus, LTFRB executive director, the company faced administrative charges if the family of the victims will file civil or criminal charges against the company.

Despite of the lifting of the suspension, there were rumors that some bus drivers of the company are overtaking their buses just to have their earnings on everyday work until the present day.

It was reported on May 3, 2015 that an AJ Sampaguita Bus Liner, also operating under the same company was caught driving recklessly on the elevated Skyway. Buses on the elevated Skyway are only allowed to drive at 80 kph due to the dangers a large vehicle could cause. The said bus was traveling at a speed of over 120kph while recklessly overtaking cars and swerving in and out of lanes. A motorist attempted to warn the bus to slow down, the driver misunderstood this as an act of aggression and cut off the vehicle while even threatening to collide with him. The driver was later seen giggling on the wheel of the bus which was also filled with passengers.

On February 1, 2016, a Joanna Jesh bus driven by Roel Labin swerved to the left and then rammed the orange barriers of the MMDA while racing against another bus in EDSA-Ayala Southbound. It was caught in video from a dashboard camera.

Recently, on the issue of campaign against illegal drugs, the operator and incumbent mayor of Sinacaban, Misamis Occidental, Crisinciano Enot Mahilac, was included in the list of the narco-politicians which he was strongly linked to the Parohinog clan who were suspected druglords in the province. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte issued a warning to both political clans who were linked to illegal drug trade. Mahilac, who served mayor of the said municipality in three terms, might face sanction if he continued the illegal drug activity.

Recent updates

Last year, the company adopted a red violet livery of UD Nissan Diesel EXFOH units, with a total of 10 new buses, to address the problem of shortage of buses bound to FTI Complex. But still, the problem is only temporary for there were some former bus companies that were already defunct or phased out, like PVP Liner and King of Kings Transport (owned by Claire dela Fuente).

Recently, Joanna Jesh Transport has formed a new bus company with Nissan Diesel Santarosa Euro buses (Metrorider) units. Later, it was renamed Yohance Express Inc., which is derive from the name of Cian Yohan Mahilac, the youngest son of Crisinciano Mahilac. The company also added UD Trucks Santarosa PKB units for Sampaguita Auto Transport Corp. and RBM Grand Rally Transport Inc. (both operated by: Yohance Express Inc.) for their new route Pacita Complex, San Pedro, Laguna-Novaliches via EDSA NLEX Malinta Exit and NAIA-Grotto via EDSA Fairview Commonwealth Avenue, respectively.

Fleet

Joanna Jesh Transport utilizes and maintains Nissan Diesel, Hino, and Daewoo units, with roughly a total of over 200 buses.

Bus terminals

Subsidiaries