Motorcycle taxi workers are asking for a dialogue with President Marcos and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to discuss new regulations that seem to prohibit them from earning more.
In a statement, motorcycle-for-hire group Nexus Riders Alliance said it is seeking a dialogue with the President and acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez in the hope of scrapping the new capping system.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) yesterday started accepting applications for motorcycle taxi riders.
Filings deemed successful will be issued provisional authority to operate (PAO) as a motorcycle taxi rider. The LTFRB committed to enforce the fleet cap in Metro Manila at 23,164 for Angkas, 15,000 for JoyRide PH and 6,836 for Move It.
This is causing anxiety among riders, Nexus Riders warned, as some of them may lose the right to work in the motorcycle taxi industry. Nexus Riders chairman Renato Emblado wants to know what would happen to riders who would exceed the cap of their platform.
‘Our question is simple: If a platform could only accept a limited number of riders, where would those not included in the allocation go?’ Emblado said.
Emblado also questioned the prohibition on multi-apping, wherein a rider could accept bookings from different platforms to earn more.
He said riders should be given the opportunity to choose their platform at any time of the day, as this will force apps to improve their booking and incentive systems for competitive advantage.
Emblado said riders support the government’s push to establish a legislative framework for their industry. However, in the absence of legislation, he told regulators to be more practical with their policies, saying the current cap fails to meet demand.
Currently, the motorcycle taxi industry operates under the oversight of a technical working group led by the DOTr and LTFRB. Lawmakers have been pushing to set up a regulatory environment, but proposals have so far failed to hurdle Congress.
The DOTr is cracking down on platforms exceeding their rider cap, which was exposed during the recent distribution of fuel subsidies at the height of the Middle East conflict.
Commuters, for their part, have relied on motorcycle taxis for a cheaper and faster way to reach their destination in the metro, but worries on safety and security are mounting in light of reports of road accidents.