Poe asks: What will happen to 17K Angkas riders at risk of losing jobs?

MANILA, Philippines—”Ano ang gagawin natin sa diumano’y 17,000 bikers na mawawalan ng akreditasyon?” (What do we do with the 17,000 bikers who will lose their accreditation?)

Senator Grace Poe directed this question to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) after motorcycle-hailing app Angkas appealed to the public to help “save” some 17,000 drivers who are expected to lose their livelihood after the agency slashed more than half of the motorcycle taxi company’s workforce.

While she welcomed the Inter-agency Technical Working Group on Motorcycle (MC) Taxis’ decision to extend MC Taxi Pilot Implementation for three more months, Poe, who chairs the Senate committee on public services, said she wants to know the standards and parameters used by TWG in coming up with the decision.

“Ano ang batayan ng 30,000 bikers cap para sa Metro Manila at 9,000 para sa Cebu, na hahatiin nang pantay-pantay sa tatlong operator? Paano ang kasalukuyan nang bikers na lagpas sa alokasyon ng kanilang kumpanya?” Poe asked.

(What is the basis of the 30,000 bikers cap for Metro Manila and 9,000 for Cebu, which will be divided equally among the three operators? What will happen to bikers whose company already exceeded the set allocation?)

“Higit sa lahat, ito ba ang tamang oras para sa implementasyon nito kung kailan magpa-Pasko at pahirapan ang pagbu-book ng sasakyan ang mga pasahero? Ano ang gagawin natin sa diumano’y 17,000 bikers na mawawalan ng akreditasyon?” she added.

(More importantly, is this the right time for its implementation when Christmas is approaching and the passengers are having a hard time booking a car? What do we do with the 17,000 bikers who will lose their accreditation?)

The LTFRB announced Thursday that the government has extended Angkas’ pilot run for three more months and allowed two new operators to participate.

The three operators were given an overall allotted cap of 39,000 registered bikers — 10,000 bikers per transport network company (TNC) for Metro Manila and 3,000 bikers per TNC for Metro Cebu.

Poe said that she supports the government in creating solutions to transportation woes but she stressed that we need a clear and open decision-making process, especially the safety of our riders and the livelihood of our drivers and their families at stake.