Sen. Grace Poe (File photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — The national government should legalize motorcycles as taxis, Sen. Grace Poe said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
In a hearing on Tuesday, Poe cited the results of a pilot study on the issue conducted by the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
A Senate technical working group (TWG) survey also showed that 96% of motorcycle taxi passengers believe that the government should allow motorcycle taxis.
“To me, this pilot study is the strength of this policy. Early on, we have seen implementation gaps, So the regulators have enough time to come up with solutions or interventions to improve its regulation once legalized,” said Poe, the author of Senate Bill No. 104 seeking to allow and regulate the use of motorcycles as public utility vehicles.
“Four years and a global pandemic later, we believe it is now high time for Congress to use the data points from the ground to craft a policy that is responsive to the needs of the commuting public and all the stakeholders of the ever-growing motorcycle taxi industry,” she added.
However, Poe stressed motorcycle taxis must adhere to the highest standards of road safety.
She cited the World Health Organization’s Global Status Report for Road Safety which showed that nearly 30% of all road crash deaths involved motorcycles, mopeds, scooters, and electronic bikes with the numbers rising.
Poe noted that this was higher in Southeast Asia where 43% of all road-traffic deaths involve two and three-wheelers.
“The established vulnerability of motorcycles as a mode of transportation calls for the government to step in. We need to legalize to reflect the reality on the ground but we also need the highest safety standards to make this a true mobility alternative,” Poe said.
Meanwhile, commuter and rider groups — among them Komyut — have also voiced support for the bill during the hearing.
“It would be good to regulate this so we [commuters] can be better protected, we hope that there are good practices to institutionalize ways to improve public transportation,” Komyut spokesperson Toix Cerna said.