LTFRB asks Uber, Grab, U-Hop to rid ranks of ‘colorum’

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has called on transport network companies (TNCs) to immediately deactivate their peer operators who have yet to secure the necessary requirements to operate, saying their drivers may be apprehended for operating “colorum” (operating without a transport franchise) vehicles.

LTFRB chair Martin Delgra III aired his appeal after traffic enforcers accosted on Tuesday at least three drivers who failed to prove that they had secured from the LTFRB provisional authority to operate. He noted that it was even the first day of one of the violators.

Delgra, however, did not say which of three accredited TNCs the drivers belonged to. Currently, the TNCs accredited by the LTFRB are Grab, Uber and U-Hop.

“We have sent a letter to them not to activate peer operators who have not yet secured provisional authority from us, otherwise they will be considered ‘colorum’ vehicles,” Delgra told reporters in a press briefing.

He warned that drivers who fail to present the necessary requirements to operate would be slapped a hefty fine of at least P200,000.

According to Delgra, they have called for a meeting on Friday with the TNCs and their operators to “thresh out the issue.” He noted that they were reviewing rules and regulations covering TNCs since under current rules, there was almost no provision on their level of accountability.

The LTFRB chief also called on the public to help the agency in its campaign against colorum vehicles by reporting TNC drivers operating without the necessary requirements. In February, Uber driver Nicolo Lizaso was fined P200,000 for threatening a passenger. He was later found to be operating without provisional authority from the LTFRB.