Inquirer file photo/Richard A. Reyes
MANILA, Philippines — Except for major roads in Metro Manila, the nationwide crackdown against unregistered light electric vehicles on the roads, especially e-bikes and e-trikes, has not been enforced yet.
Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Vigor Mendoza II said they have yet to implement its own policy “because our information dissemination with the public and our meetings with local governments are not yet complete.”
“Our problem with unregistered light e-vehicles is not only isolated in Metro Manila. In fact, enforcement is more challenging in provinces where e-vehicles, especially e-trikes, are dominant,” he told reporters at the sidelines of an event in Quezon City on Friday night.
READ: MMDA: Full enforcement of ban on e-trikes, e-bikes to start on May 27
While there were no apprehensions yet, Mendoza said LTO enforcers were directed to confront drivers of registered e-trikes and e-bikes and to “convince” them to register their vehicles.
“We are giving owners nationwide all the opportunity to register their light e-vehicles,” the LTO chief noted. “But if these offenders who do not comply despite repeated warnings from our enforcers, we issue citation tickets.”
According to Mendoza, local governments, which are the primary enforcer of traffic laws on local roads, were seeking more time for information and dissemination to properly study the roads where light e-vehicles would be permitted to pass.
There was also a big surge on the demand for hybrid and e-vehicles from a low 1,500 to 6,000 sold a month on average.
According to the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines, there are 15,300 e-vehicles running nationwide and the figure is expected to grow to 6.6 million in 2030.
E-vehicles must be registered before the LTO in compliance with Republic Act No. 11697, or the Electric Vehicle Industry Act of 2022. In February 2024, the LTO issued Administrative Order No. VDM-2024-044 mandating all e-vehicles used and operated in public highways to be registered.
Based on LTO guidelines, the following are required to be registered: personal mobility scooter, electric kick scooter, e-bikes, e-moped, e-motorcycles, e-trikes and e-quads. Light e-vehicles, which will be used exclusively along private roads, like those in subdivisions, are not required to be registered.
Unregistered vehicles, which are caught operating in public highways will be impounded.