Motorcycle riders operating as public transport called angkas, including the inDrive application used by taxis to get passengers similar to Grab, are not allowed to operate for lack of mandatory permit to operate, according to the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board-Cordillera.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong asked LTFRB Regional Director Lalaine Sobremonte to act on the issue of motorcycle angkas and the highest bidder scheme of inDrive taxi app.
In her reply to the mayor, Sobremonte said the motorcycle angkas is not safe, especially with Baguio’s uphill terrain.
In a Facebook post, LTFRB-Cordillera warned the public on the use of motorcycles operating as a public utility vehicle in Baguio City.
“At present, there is no law allowing motorcycle taxis to ply the streets and carry commuters. Motorcycle taxis have yet to be officially legalized as a form of public transportation and are currently operating under a pilot study in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu. To date, there are no authorized motorcycle taxi operators in the city of Baguio,” the LTFRB-Cordillera post reads.
“The riding public is urged to refrain from patronizing any individual and company providing motorcycle-for-hire services,” the agency stated.
Sobremonte added the agency is still waiting for the House of Representatives to pass a law amending provisions of Republic Act 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code.
Under the law, registered private motorcycles, scooters, or motor wheel attachments shall not be used for hire under any circumstances and shall not be used to solicit, accept, or transport passengers or freight for pay.
Private vehicles do not have a certificate of public convenience required from PUVs by the LTFRB to before they can operate as public utility vehicles.
The LTFRB also warned the public against patronizing the inDrive taxi app and Maxim, which were recently declared as colorum for offering transport network vehicle service without any accreditation as transport network companies.
InDrive operates in Baguio, Bacolod, Pampanga, Cebu, Iloilo, and Cagayan de Oro and sets fare prices through real-time bidding, with passengers giving a proposed fare and the driver making a counter-offer.
The mayor ordered the apprehension of violators. – Jessa Mardy P. Samidan
March 21, 2023
