A motorcycle taxi organization and a consumer advocacy group voiced support for transportation authorities seeking to professionalize the motorcycle taxi sector, urging officials to clean up rider registries before altering industry rules.

In a joint statement, the Motorcycle Taxi Riders Organization (METRO) and Digital Pinoys backed efforts by the Department of Transportation and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to enforce existing regulations.

“Clean up the industry first before changing the rules,” METRO said. “Identify the genuine, legitimate riders first before discussing how to expand the system.”

The group pushed back against claims that strict regulation restricts rider independence.

“The debate is being framed as a choice between rider freedom and government regulation,” the group added. “It is not. This is about accountability. Regulations may evolve, but accountability must remain constant.”

Before lifting rider caps or altering multihoming rules — which allow drivers to register across multiple booking platforms — METRO urged regulators to verify total active drivers, authorized route operators and the number of unregistered riders operating beyond government limits.