Commuters are increasingly relying on motorcycles-for-hire to get through Metro Manila’s jammed streets to their destination. (NIÑO JESUS ORBETA / INQUIRER)
MANILA, Philippines — Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte on Thursday asked colleagues to pass when it resumes its session a bill that would regulate motorcycle-for-hire operations and lift the cap on allowed riders for companies to ensure the safety of commuters.
Duterte cited the need to pass House Bill No. 4470, or the proposed Motorcycles-for-Hire Act, which seeks to streamline the application of companies involved in such businesses, registration of riders, and the creation of standards and specifications for motorcycles used in these operations.
The bill was filed by Duterte, Benguet Rep. Eric Yap, and ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Edvic Yap, and former ACT-CIS Rep. Jeffrey Soriano as early as September 6, 2022.
Currently, a technical working group created by the House Committee on transportation is consolidating similar bills filed.
But without a law institutionalizing motorcycles-for-hire — and with the cap on how many riders a ride-hailing application can avail of — a lot of commuters are placed in danger because they can opt for unregistered motorcycles, colloquially known as ‘habal-habal.’
“As a result, the number of ‘habal-habal’ rides, or those motorcycles-for-hire operating outside the purview of the pilot study conducted by the LTFRB (Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board), has continued to increase,” Duterte said in a statement.
“Passengers who cannot book through motorcycle-hailing apps authorized by the LTFRB because of the lack of available riders are left with no option but to patronize these illegal habal-habal and compromise their safety,” he added.
According to Duterte, the pilot study conducted by the LTFRB on the viability of motorcycle-for-hire operations has taken too long already, claiming that it enters the fourth year without any certainty as to whether it would be finished.
The lawmaker was referring to the technical working group formed in 2019 by LTFRB upon the Department of Transportation (DOTr) instructions to study the use of ride-hailing applications.
It was revived last November to oversee the pilot implementation of motorcycle-for-hire companies.
Recently, LTFRB said that it has not yet authorized any increase in the number of riders per motorcycle taxi company.
As of now, LTFRB has allocated 45,000 slots, subdivided into the following:
- Angkas (23,164)
- Joyride (15,000)
- Move It (6,836)
The maintenance of a cap means companies, like Move It which has been acquired by Grab Philippines, cannot add more riders despite its willingness to increase its fleet to 15,000.