Sen. Grace Poe | PHOTO: Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate Social Media Unit
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Grace Poe wondered if it is now time for the government’s technical working group (TWG) to finalize its study on motorcycle taxis amid plans to expand the program.
Poe, the chairperson of the Senate committee on public services, said that more than four years of continuous studies by the TWG showed that commuters are “overwhelmingly in favor of legalizing motorcycle taxis — with at least 96 percent of motorcycle taxi passengers surveyed believing that the government should allow motorcycles as a mode of public transportation.
Noting that most are now “convinced” of the need for motorcycle taxis, she asked: Is it time for the TWG to conclude its pilot study and submit its final recommendations to Congress?
“To me, this pilot study is the strength of this policy. Maaga pa lamang ay nakita na natin ang mga gap sa implementation so the regulators have enough time to come up with solutions or interventions to improve its regulation once legalized,” said Poe in a hearing in late March.
(To me, this pilot study is the strength of this policy. We have seen the implementation gaps early on, so the regulators have enough time to come up with solutions or interventions to improve their regulation once it is legalized.)
“Four years and a global pandemic later, we believe it is now 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 emphasized.
‘Pause expansion’
Meanwhile, Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua, vice chair of the House committee on Metro Manila development, said there’s an urgent need to pause the expansion of the motorcycle taxi program, citing worsening traffic and an “alarming rise in motorcycle accidents” in the National Capital Region.
READ: Moratorium on expansion of MC taxi ops in NCR sought amid traffic woes
Several transport groups and commuter advocates have also echoed Chua’s call, opposing the program’s expansion.
For its part, the Coalition of Transport Sectors (CATS), consisting of various transport sector heads, gathered in a press conference to appeal to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to “terminate the expansion of motorcycle taxis in Metro Manila” and instead focus on any proposed expansions to areas outside of Metro Manila, where the adverse effects of traffic might be less severe.
Lastly, the President of the National Confederation of Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines, Ariel Lim, said the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board should finish its pilot study before accommodating more applicants into the program.