MMDA wants motorcycle taxi ban on Edsa, national roads

MANILA, Philippines — Should motorcycle taxis be officially considered a mode of public transportation, they should be banned from traversing Edsa and other national roads, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said on Thursday.

“Nag-recommend din kami sa TWG (Technical Working Group), baka pwede pag pinayagan nila yan, hindi natin papayagan sa mga national roads ang mga motorcycle taxis,” MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia said in a press conference.

(That’s why nag-recommended to the TWG, if they will allow it, we will not let motorcycle taxis travel on national roads.)

Garcia said that the motorcycles — just like their three-wheeled cousins, the tricycles — shouldn’t be allowed to run alongside the buses on EDSA, as these may only lead to accidents on major thoroughfares.

“Hindi mo pwedeng isabay ‘yan sa mga bus. Sabi ko nga, kung ang tricycle, tatlo na ang gulo sa national roads, eh lalo na itong mga motorcycle taxis. Kaya mas maiiwasan yung aksidente kung nasa inner roads lang sila eh,” he said.

(You can’t let them travel along with buses. Like I said, if a tricycle only has three wheels, it’s more grave with motorcycle taxis. That’s why we will prevent accidents if they stay on inner roads.)

Earlier, 16 senators signed a Senate committee report where it recommended that motorcycle taxis be allowed to transport passengers.

Currently, the TWG is currently conducting a pilot run to determine whether or not motorbikes are safe for public transport. It tagged three players to participate in the study, namely Angkas, JoyRide, and MoveIt.

The TWG imposed a biker cap for each transport network company (TNC), —15,000 drivers, each firm in Metro Manila, 3,000 each in Metro Cebu and 3,000 each in Cagayan de Oro.

Garcia further elaborated that aside from Edsa, he would recommend motorcycle taxis to be banned along other national roads, such as the circumferential roads (C-1 to C-10) and radial roads (R-1 to R-10) in Metro Manila.

“Ang hiling lang namin, pag naglabas ng batas, sana talaga higpitan natin kung talagang safety yung pagu-usapan,” Garcia said.

(Our hope is, when the law is approved, I hope they will make tighten when it comes to safety.)