MANILA, Philippines — The The Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) technical working group (TWG) on motorcycle taxis blasted motorcycle ride-hailing firm Angkas for resorting to “emotional blackmail” over the 10,000-rider cap imposed by government as part of the extended pilot run.
The TWG also accused Angkas of wanting to monopolize the motorcycle-taxi service, which it said is a “violation of public interest.”
“It is quite unfortunate that ANGKAS has made a public spectacle, and has resorted to emotional blackmail in its attempt to cement its foothold on this transport service,” the TWG said in an open letter addressed to Angkas spokesperson George Royeca, as posted on the Department of Transportation (DOTr) Facebook page Monday night.
“It is one thing to make an assiduous representation to state your case and your points on the matter, but it is another thing to use the issue as a forum to protect your vested interest at the expense of the government, which has nothing but the overall public interest in mind,” the TWG added.
Earlier, Angkas lamented the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board’s (LTFRB) decision to impose the biker-limit, which it claimed will displace some 17,000 accredited riders.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1204081/angkas-protest-10000-biker-limit-set-by-ltfrb-in-extended-pilot-run
This developed after the LTFRB announced that it will extend its pilot test run for motorcycle taxis for another three months, from Dec. 23 to March 23, 2020, with two new players competing with Angkas.
The first pilot test run was approved last June, and would end on December 26.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1203867/angkas-pilot-run-extended-for-3-months-2-new-operators-to-join-in
Responding to Angkas’ claim, the TWG denied that the 17,000 bikers will lose their jobs and will have the option of joining Angkas’ future rivals, JoyRide and Move It.
“In fact, there is a need to hire more as the TWG has recommended to increase the pilot run participants to 39,000 from the current 27,000 now in place,” the TWG said.
“Your argument that 17,000 out of your 27,000 riders will be deprived of their livelihood does not hold water, as they are the prospects of JoyRide and Move It,” it added.
The TWG further stated: “This is our second and most anthemic point – THERE CAN BE NO MONOPOLY in the Motorcycle Taxi Service as this goes against public interest.”
“What the government wants to promote is healthy competition among service providers, to ensure that the commuter can avail of the best choice.”
The interagency body also told Angkas that the firm has no official franchise yet as it is still under pilot-testing.
“Your participation is a privilege that the government has extended, and it should not be construed as a right to impose or demand monopolistic provisions that will be detrimental to the program in the long run.”
The TWG also called out Angkas for not submitting a list of their authorized riders during the first half of their pilot test run.
“[W]hat Angkas fails to mention is that it is not even fully compliant with the directive to submit its actual listing of riders to the TWG as required early in the initial phase of the pilot run, as it can only provide an excel sheet submission of rides per day from June to December sans any analysis or executive summary,” the TWG said.
“In fact, despite the guidelines set by the TWG for the registration of authorized riders, Angkas has only submitted 2,204 authorized riders as of today, a far cry from its claim of 27,000 rider partners,” it added.