Senate Committee on Transportation chairperson Raffy Tulfo has renewed his proposal to require electric tricycles, or e-trikes, to be registered and the drivers to be licensed before being allowed on main roads, citing the hazards that endanger e-trike drivers, passengers, and other motorists.

A ride-hailing app driver interviewed by DAILY TRIBUNE on Tuesday said he supports Tulfo’s proposal, recalling a recent accident involving an e-trike.

“My car’s bumper was flattened when it was hit by an e-trike. The driver just said sorry and left because they don’t have licenses. I was the one inconvenienced because I had to pay for the repairs,” said Benito Espiritu, a driver for the ride-hailing app Grab.

Tulfo, in a radio interview on Tuesday, clarified that he is not against e-trikes operating inside subdivisions and interior roads to transport students to school.

“You really need to have a license and register with the Land Transportation Office because most e-trike drivers involved in accidents do not have a driver’s license. They do not know the traffic rules and regulations. Second, since they are not registered with the LTO, when they figure in an accident, they do not have third-party liability insurance. They have no money to pay for the people they injure,” he said.

He also said that jeepney and tricycle drivers see e-trikes as unfair competition, as some now ferry passengers without a franchise, particularly along Gil Puyat Avenue in Pasay City.

Tulfo pointed out that tricycle operators and drivers undergo rigorous processes to obtain licenses, franchises, and insurance, while e-trike drivers bypass such requirements.

He stressed that aside from road safety, he wants e-bike and e-trike users to follow the same regulations for fairness.

During last week’s budget deliberations of the Department of Transportation, Tulfo directed the LTO to coordinate with the Department of the Interior and Local Government and inform local government units about banning e-trikes from major roads and regulating its operators.

He also backed the LTO’s move to enforce e-bike and e-trike regulations starting January 2026, noting that a one-month information drive is enough to educate riders and avoid confusion once strict enforcement begins on 2 January.

“I think one month is enough for the information drive,” he said.

On Sunday, LTO chief Markus Lacanilao announced a halt to plans to impound e-bikes and e-trikes traversing national highways this month after complaints flooded social media.

Lacanilao reset the implementation to January, giving the riders a one-month reprieve and allowing for more time to clarify the rules.