Commuter advocates seek more innovative forms of public transportation

As local government units raised concerns regarding certain forms of public transportation used as school services, commuter advocates said that concerned agencies should be creative in providing service to the riding public.

“Transport should be open to innovation in every aspect,” lawyer Ariel Inton, a transportation advocate, said at a forum at the University of the Philippines on Saturday.

In the discussions, several groups raised the possibility of using motorcycle taxis to minimize congestion in major roads.

However, the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) had banned the practice before, when it suspended the operations of Angkas.

Inton said that the ideal thing to do would be to ban motorcycle taxis. But he posed the question: Can the government can ban every single tricycle?

“Sure, if we want to stop it, by all means we stop it. But can we do that?” Inton said. “So I think the better option is regulate them, and the regulation shall be strictly enforced by law enforcers.” /atm