LTO catches 23 tricycle drivers violating ‘no plate, no travel’ policy

COMMUTERS’ WOES A tricycle tries to get passengers following a transportation strike that left hundreds of commuters stranded, as seen on the roadside of Mabalacat City-Angeles City boundary along MacArthur Highway in this file picture. — CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 23 tricycle drivers were apprehended by authorities in Quezon City.

This action comes as the Land Transportation Office (LTO) started its implementation of the “No Plate, No Travel” regulation on Monday.

“Reports reaching the LTO Central Office revealed that in the first hours of the implementation, a total of 16 drivers were apprehended after their tricycles were found to be unregistered,” the agency said in a statement.

READ: LTO chief: No more driver’s license cards, car plates backlog by July 1

“A total of five more tricycles were apprehended for operating the motor vehicle with no license plate while two others were apprehended for driving without driver’s license,” it added.

According to LTO chief Vigor Mendoza II, the Quezon City government and representatives of various Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (TODA) agreed on the policy’s enforcement.

Mendoza likewise emphasized the importance of the policy in preventing ‘colorum’ tricycles, or units operating without permits, from picking up commuters in areas that are not covered in the regular route of the vehicles.

“This is also in line with the instruction of Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista to ensure the safety of all road users, especially the commuters who depend on tricycles as a mode of transport on their way to and from their offices and schools,” he added.

Mendoza reminded drivers that “all tricycles must display valid and authorized licensed plates at all times while plying the road.”

To prevent more violators, the LTO chief said sufficient personnel from his agency and QC traffic enforcers will be dispatched to strategic areas in Quezon City.