Motorcycle taxi industry: Thriving or dying?

This particular gas station offers a P3 discount on the cost of gasoline for a particular motorcycle taxi app. roman prospero roman prospero @tribunephl_RRP

Metro Manila traffic needs immediate fixing. Apart from affecting people’s daily schedule, it robs the country opportunity losses worth an estimated P3.5 billion a year the past two years alone.

Although the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said opportunity losses due to traffic congestion is expected to ease by about a third to P2.13 billion by 2022 due to the completion of major “Build, Build, Build” projects, this will not be enough.

To beat the traffic, stakeholders and even the government previously agreed to explore whether motorcycle taxis would suffice as an efficient mode of public transportation.

However, the recent tug of war between the transportation inter-agency body and businessmen who want to exploit the system has raised the question: Is the motorcycle industry already dying before it even thrives?

Early this year, the House of Representatives passed Resolution 2449 urging the Department of Transportation (DoTr) to implement a pilot program allowing, monitoring, and regulating the operation of duly registered and organized motorcycles-for-hire as an alternative public transport utility.

The DoTr then instructed various agencies to form the Technical Working Group (TWG) of stakeholders and experts from the government and the private sector to thresh out the issues attendant to the prospect of two-wheeled vehicles operating as public transports.

The TWG was tasked to identify motorcycle types eligible for licensing, taking into consideration factors like engine displacement, carrying capacity, operating speeds, routes, seat and helmet requirements, and training for drivers who will eventually need to obtain a public utility vehicle (PUV) registration.

Upon the recommendation of the TWG, the DoTr allowed a six-month pilot test for motorcycle taxi operations in the Philippines starting in July of this year. The pilot implementation ended on 26 December.

Since only the motorcycle ride-hailing app Angkas had been established and operating with an eight-month track record at the time, it became the sole subject of the pilot program.

But because traffic remains unbearable, commuters still resort to patronizing the habal-habal which are unsafe and could potentially harm the ongoing dry run.

Commuter safety advocates formally filed a petition to restrain various groups from operating motorcycle taxis.

In early December, Lawyers for Commuter Safety and Protection (LCSP) filed an injunction with application for a temporary restraining order (TRO) and/or writ of preliminary injunction against five motorcycle taxi companies, namely We Move Things Philippines Inc. (Joyride), Habal Rides Corp., I-Sabay, Sampa-Dala Corp. and Trans-Serve Corp.

According to the petition letter submitted to the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City on 3 December, the operations of the five motor taxis are unauthorized and may cause grave and substantial damage to the public.

In a surprising turn of event, the TWG, on 11 December, decided to extend the motorcycle taxi service pilot implementation for another three months.

The TWG said the extension will allow new motorcycle taxi providers to participate in the dry run “in the interest of giving the riding public a wider choice and thus push the multiple providers to ensure a higher standard of service.”

The interagency body said JoyRide and MoveIt will now join the motorcycle taxi dry run.

According to TWG chairperson Retired P/Maj. Gen. Antonio B. Gardiola Jr., the extension of the pilot implementation also aims to provide the TWG more time to widen the scope of their study on appropriate standards and capacities for motorcycles to be considered safe, convenient, and eligible for a franchise.

With the introduction of new players, the TWG decided that from an initial 27,000 riders for the sole provider, Angkas, an overall cap of 39,000 bikers was allowed for all three providers during the extension.

Each ride-hailing firm will have 10,000 bikers for Metro Manila operations and 3,000 bikers for Metro Cebu operations.

George Royeco, chief Transport Advocate at Angkas, said downsizing their riders cap is a compromise to the quality of its service.