Potential Angkas rival asks to join DOTr dry run

SAFETY FIRST The Joyride PH uniform includes a motorcycle helmet and a vest that shows the rules to be followed by riders. —MEG ADONIS

MANILA, Philippines — With around three weeks to go before motorcycle taxi service Angkas’ six-month dry run comes to an end, a potential rival has asked the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to let it participate in the pilot test.

“We want to hasten the gathering of data, make the information more accurate, and [help] the data to be more transparent by becoming another source,” said Noli Eala, Joyride PH vice president for corporate affairs, during a press briefing earlier this week.

In May, Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade approved a six-month dry run for Angkas that would end on Dec. 3. The results were expected to largely determine if motorcycles would be allowed to operate as public transport through amending the law. Republic Act 4136 bans the two-wheeler from being used as a public utility vehicle.

Eala said they sent a letter to the DOTr in late August to formalize their request to join the ongoing dry run although they have yet to receive a reply.

Unserved market

“There is also a more than 80-percent remaining market that remains unserved, and we hope that the DOTr can open the test run [to] more parties,” he told reporters. Another option, he said, would be to extend the dry run for another six months.

Despite the lack of a response from authorities, Joyride PH started training last month over 6,000 applicant-drivers at its 5,000-sqm facility on Marcos Highway.

Its bikers are called “kasundo,” a play on the words “sundo” (fetcher) and “kasundo” (someone you get along with).

With the help of certified professionals from PH-MC Riders Safety Training Center, a private firm, applicants undergo a skills assessment exercise to measure their abilities in pylon slalom, or passing through narrow paths on congested roads. More emphasis, however, is given to changing their mindset to avoid accidents.

“We have a module that does not talk anymore about skills or knowledge of traffic signs,” said Menard Umali, sales and business development manager of PH-MC Riders. “How do you change the mindset of the person so that they do not commit errors?”

Right decision at right time

“Others talk about [traffic rules during training]. But we focus more on [teaching the bikers] how to make the right decisions at the right time,” he said.

Applicants’ vehicles are also assessed to determine whether these are fit to be added to the aspiring ride-hailing service’s fleet.

“We don’t discriminate here. We want to provide livelihood to the people so we accept any motorcycle brand and model as long as they pass the motorcycle diagnosis,” Umali said.

Eala seemed unfazed when asked about the possibility of the DOTr putting its foot down on motorcycles being used as public transport at the end of Angkas’ 6-month pilot test.

“That’s a risk but we are very confident that first of all, there is a need for this [service]… It’s just really a matter of us ensuring that we are prepared when the time comes that the law is passed. We are confident that the DOTr is looking at the necessity for this kind of service,” he said.