Motorcycle taxis
The Philippines loses about P3 billion daily due to the traffic congestion in Metro Manila, according to the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
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The Philippines loses about P3 billion daily due to the traffic congestion in Metro Manila, according to the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Year in and year out, surveys from local and international groups and think tanks would place the Philippines in the lower ranks when it comes to transportation situation and commuter satisfaction.
A recent study by UK-based insurance technology site GoShorty showed that Manila ranks as the eighth worst in the world in terms of hours spent in traffic. With a 43 percent congestion level, Filipinos in these cities lose 98 hours to traffic annually.
The Philippines loses about P3 billion daily due to the traffic congestion in Metro Manila, according to the Japan International Cooperation Agency. This amount could balloon to P5.4 billion by 2035.
Boston Consulting Group revealed that in 2017 Manila's traffic congestion cost motorists an average of over an hour lost in traffic every day, putting it at the third worst in Southeast Asia.
As the Christmas season starts, the Filipino commuter's distressing situation gets even worse.
Transport experts projected that more and more Filipinos will rely on ride -hailing services to get through traffic. The motorcycle taxi industry, in particular, is gaining popularity.
As compared with ride-hailing cabs, tapping motorcycle taxis become a sensible choice for the commuting public since it eases congestion, significantly lessens travel time, and is a lot cheaper than other public modes of transportation.
In other neighboring countries such as Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia, motorcycle taxi is already an established business model.
In the Philippines, a Motorcycle Taxi bill (House Bill 10571) had already been passed, and Manila 2nd District Representative and House Committee on Metro Manila Development chair Rolando Valeriano said he will help push its swift passage into law.
Currently, three motorcycle taxi companies — Angkas, JoyRide and Move It — are given a special provision to operate motorcycle taxis, as part of the government's pilot testing.
But several months ago, questions were raised when Grab Philippines, arguably the most established transportation network company in the country, recently acquired Move It. Concerns over the takeover's impact on consumers are now being raised in the House of Representatives.
At a recent interpellation, the Philippine Competition Commission found no need to review the merger since it did not meet the PCC's minimum threshold to justify one.
Marikina 2nd District Representative and ex-PCC Chair Stella Quimbo, however, expressed disappointment at the regulatory agency's seeming lack of concern and inaction over Grab's compliance regarding its 2018 voluntary commitments to stop overpricing and overcharging.
The motorcycle-for-hire industry is clearly expanding — a solution to traffic and commuting woes that emerged in this new normal.
Legislation of motorcycle taxis should be fast-tracked in Congress to allow for more players and more competition. This will allow and regulate motorcycle taxi-hailing as a public conveyance, prevent fears and the possibility of lesser competition and higher fares, and level the playing field in the said industry.
Not only this, legalization and regulation would help address safety risks in registered motorcycle-for-hire and those operating in the black market, called habal-habal. These will likewise improve commuter welfare by giving them the option to choose legitimate service providers.
The weary, desperate Filipino commuters need a solution. Cheap, fast, and safe public mobility via motorcycle taxis is promising, and the government needs to act fast.
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