Motorcycle taxi operator Move It has urged the government to legitimize the operation of 200,000 “habal-habal” taxis in Metro Manila.
“These forgotten people only need one thing: for the government to allow them to temporarily operate legally just like Move It, Angkas, and Joyride. Or for Congress to fast-track the passage of the bill legitimizing the motorcycle taxi business,” Francis Juan, Move It chairman, said in a statement.
The technical working group of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) under the Duterte administration initially limited the motorcycle taxi to only Angkas and then added two more motorcycle taxi companies later under its pilot program to study the business although there were other interested parties.
The government also allocated only 15,000 driver slots for each of the three participants.
Angkas, benefiting from its head start, borrowed most of Move It’s slots since the latter was too small to use up its allocation. Angkas claims to have about 30,000 drivers now compared to Move It’s 1,000.
“We missed the opportunity to adopt an inclusive policy by going with restrictions and caps instead of open competition. But late as it is, the government can and must do it. These habal-habal drivers need to earn without having to look over their shoulder,” said Juan.
The pilot has been running for three years now and Angkas and Joyride are benefiting from a protected business in the absence of the motorcycle taxi law, he added.
In the last Congress, the Lower House passed in one day its version of the bill, Move It noted. The Senate promised to reciprocate but did not.
In a separate statement, the Alliance of Road Users and Motorcycle Advocate Society or ARMAS, an organization composed of riders and road users nationwide, lauded DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista’s initiatives to push for the passage of the Motorcycle Taxi Bill.
Last week, Bautista said DOTr is not keen to review Grab Philippines’ acquisition of Move It because it is a private transaction and the agency’s main concern is how motorcycle taxis can operate more efficiently and safely.
Grab has notified the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board of its acquisition of Move It last August, targeting to onboard at least 6,000 drivers within three months, to achieve the 7,000 riders cap.
