House panel urges gov’t task force to allow TNVS units on roads
MANILA, Philippines — The House transportation committee has asked the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) and the National Task Force (NTF) on COVID-19 to allow ride-hailing service Angkas and other transport network vehicle service (TNVS) to resume operations and provide public transportation especially for those who need to go to work amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Quezon City 2nd District Rep. Precious Hipolito-Castelo filed the motion asking the IATF and NTF to allow the resumption of motorcycle taxi operations, and also asked both bodies to look into allowing tricycles to ferry one additional passenger to double its capacity and cut costs.
“As long as we can implement the relevant public health measures as advised by our partner experts, the motorcycle taxis and more passengers on tricycles will go a long way towards augmenting our current transport capacity, which has become the key bottleneck to reviving our economy,” she said in a statement.
The pilot test for motorcycle taxis was supposed to end in March and reviewed by lawmakers but was hampered by the pandemic.
The House transportation committee also passed the motion of Manila Rep. Cristal Bagatsing for Congress to spearhead the evaluation of the pilot study of motorcycle taxis together with the existing technical working group to augment its review of other aspects in the TNVS that are relevant for legislation such as economics and competition.
Iloilo Rep. Julienne Baronda likewise supported the move to extend the MC Taxi pilot study, and filed a separate motion which was later merged with Castelo’s to include members of the academe and private sector to help the proper formulation of relevant measures, particularly related to public health in the context of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, George Royeca, Angkas Chief Transport Advocate, said all Angkas bikers are being retained on public health protocols, and that the ride-hailing service is working with its partners to help passengers purchase their own quality helmets.
“The Angkas app will soon become cashless to minimize face-to-face interactions. It will now also serve as a platform for public health education, information dissemination, and contact tracing. The trust people have on the Angkas brand will go a long way to keep the riding public with us safe,” Royeca also said.
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