QC court issues TRO on 10k cap for motorcycle taxi drivers

A Quezon City Regional Trial Court on Friday issued a 72-hour restraining order against a cap placed by the inter-agency technical working group (TWG) on motorcycle taxis, which will lead Angkas to lose 17,000 of its drivers.

"The Court finds that irreparable injury would be suffered by the plaintiff if the implementation of the Revised Guidelines for the Pilot implementation [...] is not restrained," the resolution read.

After extending the pilot run of motorcycle ride-hailing operations, TWG placed a cap of 39,000 bikers, which will lead to a 10,000 split between Angkas, JoyRide, and Move It for Metro Manila, and 3,000 bikers per transport network for Metro Cebu.

Angkas' 27,000 riders will have to be cut by 17,000 as it will share the 30,000 cap with the two players.

"Angkas, JoyRide, and Move It will participate in the Extended Pilot Implementation starting 23 December 2019 up to 23 March 2020 with an overall allotted cap of thirty-nine thousand (39,000) registered bikers -- ten thousand (10,000) bikers per Transport Network Company (TNC) for Metro Manila and three thousand (3,000) bikers per TNC for Metro Cebu operations," the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board said.

Angkas claimed that the cap, which will force their bikers to join either JoyRide or Move It, is "anti-competitive" and "morally wrong."

"It has been said that our 17,000 bikers could move to the two new competitors.  Forcing them to do so is not only anti-competitive but is also morally wrong," Angkas chief transport advocate George Royeca said.

According to the resolution, the hearing on the prayer for the issuance of writ of injunction will be held on January 16 at 2 p.m. —LDF, GMA News