Still no law on motorcycle taxis; 60,000 jobs at stake
MANILA, Philippines â The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Tuesday warned that some 60,000 motorcycle taxi driversâknown in the industry simply as âridersâârisk losing their livelihood if Congress fails to pass the long-delayed law legalizing their operations.
Thousands of motorcycle taxis are now allowed on the streets because of a pilot test approved by Congress in June 2019 to determine their reliability and safety as a means of public transport.
The test period was initially set to last only six months but was extended indefinitely by the current Congress pending the passage of legislation regulating the sector.
At a Senate committee on public services hearing, LTFRB Chair Teofilo Guadiz III said their recommendation to legalize motorcycle taxis was part of the pilot study that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and LTFRB had submitted to the Senate and the House of Representatives back in May last year.
âThe pilot study owes its legal existence to the existence of the 19th Congress. If this Congress bows out without approving the law, then motorcycle taxis will again become illegal,â the LTFRB chair said.
Without the needed regulatory system, he pointed out that the problem with âhabal-habal,â or unregistered motorcycle taxis, would only worsen.
âIf we do not have the required law, the motorcycle taxis that we see on the road will all become habal-habal. That would only put at risk the safety of paying passengers,â Guadiz added.
âWe need motorcycle taxis on two grounds. First [is] economics. It generates income for our people. Based on our data, an average rider earns P1,000 to P2,000 daily,â he said.
â(Secondly), for purposes of flexibility in our transportation system. We still experience [a] shortage in the number of buses and passenger jeepneys. The motorcycle taxis fill that gap,â Guadiz explained.
According to Paul Austria, secretary of the DOTrâs technical working group on motorcycle taxis, the executive department is hoping that lawmakers will be able to pass legislation before the current 19th Congress ends in June.
Under the legislative calendar of the 19th Congress, its session resumed on Jan. 13 and will go on until Feb. 7, after which it will adjourn from Feb. 8 to June 1. It will resume on June 2, and the last session day is set for June 13, 2025.
Austria told âTeleradyo Serbisyoâ on Tuesday the report on the results of the pilot study it submitted to Congress was the basis for the House in approving on the third and final reading of House Bill No. 10424, or the proposed Motorcycle-for-Hire Act, on July 30, 2024.
Its Senate counterpart, however, has been pending second reading before the committee on public services, which is chaired by Sen. Raffy Tulfo.
Guidelines
HB 10424 outlines the procedures on how to register motorcycle taxis and specifies the standards and specifications for riders and their motorcycles.
It also tasks the Land Transportation Office to ensure the âroadworthiness of all motorcycles-for-hire before their registration, or any renewal thereof.â
Only those holding a professional driverâs license will be allowed to operate a motorcycle taxi and the bill sets a speed limit of 60 kilometers per hour.
The LTFRB is tasked with the responsibility of prescribing fares, surcharges and other transportation fees that may be charged by operators and motorcycle taxi platform providers.
âThe LTFRB shall set forth in the franchise the terms and conditions to be observed in the operation of motorcycles-for-hire. In determining the number of franchises to be issued, the LTFRB shall take into consideration the Local Public Transport Route Plan or studies approved by the (DOTr) and their impact on the other modes of public transportation,â the bill read.
Causes of delay
Austria cited different reasons causing the pilot study to run for almost five years, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the change in government administration.
Pending legislation, motorcycle taxis have been provisionally allowed to ferry passengers after Congress approved in June 2019 a six-month pilot run in Metro Manila, Cebu, and Cagayan de Oro.
It was originally set to end on Dec. 26, 2019, but was extended until March 23, 2020, to allow for further study. The pandemic, however, delayed the deliberations and prompted another pilot test period.
The study concluded in May 2024, but the pilot run was extended indefinitely by Congress.
There are 45,000 motorcycle taxi slots distributed equally among Angkas, Joyride and Move It (which was acquired by Grab Philippines in 2022), the three original proponents of the pilot study.
In April last year, the LTFRB also approved 8,000 slots to be equally allocated to four transport network companies, namely Para Xpress (Xpress), Taxsee Philippines (Maxim), Grab (GrabBike), and Dingdong to operate in Central Luzon and southern Luzon regions.
But based on a technical working group report on the pilot study, there are a total of 68,036 registered motorcycle taxis across the country, 42 percent of which (28,547) are affiliated with Angkas.
At Tuesdayâs hearing, Sen. Grace Poe said the results of the pilot study were enough to prove the viability of allowing motorcycle taxis.
Long overdue
She agreed with the Motorcycle Taxi Community Philippines (MTCP) that it was high time that the government provided a legal framework for them.
âThe motorcycle-for-hire bill has been through the long and winding road to passage. Our tank is full,â Poe said. âIt is now time to start our engines and put our years of work into motion.â
In a statement, MTCP called on the Senate public services panel to pass the Senateâs version of the proposed Motorcycles-for-Hire Act.
Romeo Maglunsod, group chair, said enacting this bill would âsignificantly boost commutersâ confidence in using motorcycle taxis as a dependable, affordable, and safe mode of transportation.â
Motorcycle taxis offer a âpractical solution to urban traffic woesâ because their âability to navigate congested streets reduces travel times,â he said. âwith reports from Tyrone Jasper C. Piad and Inquirer Research
Source: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2024695/still-no-law-on-motorcycle-taxis-60000-jobs-at-stake?utm_source=(direct)&utm_medium=gallery