Commuters in rural areas should be given an additional option for another mode of transportation apart from the usual jeepneys and tricycles, although traffic congestion in their localities is not that severe.

The vice chairperson of the House Committee on Transportation, Quezon Rep. Reynante Arrogancia, backed Tuesday President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Speaker Romualdez’s objective to push progressive reforms in the transportation sector.

Among such is the expansion of the motorcycle taxi program outside the National Capital Region (NCR), where the mode of public transport is often limited to jeepneys and tricycles.

“In the provinces, most ordinary people cannot afford to buy or rent cars or SUVs. Access to digital platforms for hiring transportation is likewise limited,” Arrogancia said.

“PUJ routes are not as expansive and are also limited. The only affordable ways to get from point A to point B are by tricycle and motorcycle. These are the readily available vehicles of the people in the provinces,” the lawmaker added.

Currently, only NCR, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro are covered by the ongoing pilot study being conducted by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to assess whether the two-wheeled vehicle is feasible, safe, and should be legitimized as a means of public transportation.

Only Angkas, Joyride and Move It are the only authorized firms to operate MC taxis in the said areas.

In December last year, committee chairperson Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop said the pilot study could be extended to Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, Batangas, Iloilo, Bacolod, Pampanga, Davao, Zamboanga, Legazpi, General Santos, Pangasinan and Baguio.

Congress in 2019 authorized and tasked the Department of Transportation to conduct the pilot study, but the shepherding, however, was later transferred to the LTFRB.

The pilot study aims to assist Congress in expediting the drafting of legislation that would enable and regulate MC taxis as public utility vehicles.

According to Arrogancia, once it takes effect, the projected MC taxi expansion must be met with conditions based on the provinces, which the local government and the Philippine National Police must strictly enforce.

The lawmaker averred that a rational route plan is necessary for motorcycles in the provinces and the major metropolitan areas.