QC gov’t goes after illegal tricycles

The Quezon City government will start cracking down today on “colorum” tricycles as part of the strict enforcement of a 2014 ordinance.

Under a one-strike policy, tricycles operating without a valid franchise will be impounded in the crackdown to be conducted by around 200 personnel from the Department of Public Order and Safety (DPOS), Environment Protection and Waste Management Department, and the Quezon City police.

Their drivers, on the other hand, will be fined P3,000 and their sidecars confiscated.

Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte told the Inquirer that the crackdown was prompted by complaints from legitimate tricycle groups about their decreasing income.

An estimated 5,000 to 10,000 colorum tricycles are operating in the city, DPOS chief Elmo San Diego said. On the other hand, there are over 24,700 tricycles licensed to operate by the city government, all of them belonging to 150 tricycle operators and drivers’ associations.

San Diego said the strict enforcement of the ordinance, known as the QC Tricycle Management Code of 2014, was delayed due to changes in the implementing rules and regulations.

“We [also] had to [look for] alternative sources of income for those who would be affected,” he added.

According to him, the crackdown will first target “overserved” areas or places  where there are a sufficient number of legitimate tricycles to service residents.