Motorcycle taxi company vows data-sharing compliance

Homegrown motorcycle taxi company Move It is closely working with the government to ensure that its passenger safety data and other necessary measures are validated to guarantee commuters' safety.

"We recognize that in this effort we need to work closely with government regulators, our partner drivers and our passengers, so we will share any information the Department of Transportation Technical Working Group or DOTr-TWGneeds to validate its safety data," MOVE IT general manager Wayne Jacinto said at a press statement on Thursday.

"One of the seven pledges of Move It is that passenger safety is its top priority. And one of our strengths is the ability of our app to closely monitor how our partner riders drive," Jacinto added.

He noted that Move It has a 99.9-percent safety rating as it benefits from its technology partnership with Grab.

According to Jacinto, Move It will also continue to monitor the behavior and driving skills of its drivers.

Move It's commitment to bolster partnerships with the government came on the heels of the Land Transportation Office or LTO's ongoing validation of safety data submitted by the motorcycle taxi companies involved in the ongoing pilot study.

LTO head Vigor Mendoza II, who also sits as a vice-chairman of the DoTr-TWG, recently told the House Committee on Transportation that the group is carefully studying industry data to help regulators and lawmakers come up with necessary laws to govern the bike taxi sector.

The government regulators legally licensed only three players — Angkas, Move It and JoyRide — to take part in the taxi pilot study to provide affordable, safe and reliable transportation to thousands of daily commuters.

Last Wednesday, the House Transportation Committee signified its support to extend the motorcycle taxi pilot study outside Metro Manila.

Committee Chair and Antipolo 2nd District Representative Romeo Acop said the program could be extended to the provinces of Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, Batangas, Iloilo, Bacolod, Pampanga, Davao, Zamboanga, Legazpi, General Santos, Pangasinan and Baguio.

Currently, the motorcycle taxi pilot study is confined to three cities: Metro Manila, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro.