Recto seeks to legalize motorcycle ride-sharing service

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto has filed a bill defining types of motorcycles that may qualify as public utility vehicles (PUVs), and which would eventually allow motorcycle ride-sharing services.

Recto’s Senate Bill No. 2173 seeks to classify public utility motorcycles as those “with engines of at least 125 cc and can travel faster than 50 kilometers per hour.” The proposed law seeks to add a new section in the Republic Act No. 4136, or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code.

Earlier, the Supreme Court, Department of Transportation (DOTr), and motorcycle clubs have agreed on the need to amend RA 4136 before motorcycle ride-sharing services like Angkas could be legally accredited.

The High Court earlier temporarily stopped the operations of motorcycle ride-sharing app Angkas and ordered DOTr and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to go after its drivers.

READ: SC temporarily stops Angkas operations 

Section 7(c) of R.A. 4136 states that “private motorcycles, scooters, or motor wheel attachments […] shall not be used for hire under any circumstances and shall not be used to solicit, accept, or be used to transport passengers or freight for pay.”

READ: Angkas riders call on lawmakers to amend R.A. 4136

“It is in response to the call for legislative action that I have filed the bill. Without this amendment, there is no way that authority to operate motorcycles as PUVs or TNVS (transport network vehicle service) such as Angkas can be granted administratively,” Recto explained in a statement on Friday.

The senator noted that almost six in 10 motor vehicles in the country today are motorcycles and tricycles. From 3.48 million registered units in 2010, their number, based on the first half 2018 data, was projected to hit 7.5 million by end of December 2018, he added.

The legislator argued that “public frustration over road traffic, lack of public transportation, affordable motorcycles, and rising household income” has led to the “motorcycle boom.”

“When there is a shortage of PUVs and a surplus of motorbikes, the entrepreneurial spirit kicks in. This gives room for the Pinoy diskarte of making money on the side. Kung may demand, papasok ang supply. And this is the reality on the ground government can no longer ignore,” he said.

Under the bill, LTFRB and DOTr would prescribe rules on the operation of public utility motorcycles to regulate its operations and “protect both the driver and the riding public.”

Senator Grace Poe, chair of the Senate public services committee, had also sought an inquiry in aid of legislation into the possibility of allowing two-wheeled motorcycles for public transport.

“It is undeniable that our countrymen need a cheaper, affordable and readily accessible alternative mode of transportation and it is the State’s duty to ensure effective regulation so as not to compromise the riding public’s safety,” she said in filing Senate Resolution No. 993. /kga