DOTr-TWG hikes cap on motorcycle taxis to 45,000 in NCR, adds CDO in pilot study

The Department of Transportation-Technical Working Group (DOTr-TWG) on Tuesday decided to increase the cap of 30,000 riders in Metro Manila to be equally distributed among three motorcycle taxi service providers to 45,000 and added one more area in the pilot study.

LOOK: DOTr-TWG on motorcycle taxis and players Angkas, JoyRide, and Move It agreed to increase the cap of 30,000 riders to 45,000 after the House transporation committee conducted an Executive session. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/7FahH3cppe

— Ted Cordero (@Ted_Cordero) January 22, 2020

This was announced by House Committee on Transportation chairman Rep. Edgar Sarmiento following the panel’s executive session with the members of the TWG and representatives from Angkas, JoyRide, and Move It.

“Doon po sa issue na 30,000 [cap]... itinataas ito sa 45,000,” Sarmiento said.

“Doon naman sa coverage area na sinasabi na dalawang area lang Metro Manila and Metro Cebu at hindi kasama ang Cagayan de Oro. Napag-usapan po namin na hindi lang sa Metro Manila at Metro Cebu, isasama na po namin ang Cagayan de Oro,” he added.

For his part, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) member and TWG chairman Antonio Gardiola said the 45,000 cap means that players Angkas, JoyRide, and Move It will each have 15,000 bikers in its fleet.

In December 2019, the TWG announced it will extend the six-month pilot study, involving Angkas — which was scheduled to end on Dec. 26, 2019 — for another three months, until Mar. 23, 2020, with the inclusion of new players JoyRide and Move It.

The body also placed a cap of 39,000 bikers to be shared by three players —10,000 riders each in Metro Manila and 3,000 each in Metro Cebu.

“Nagdagdag kami ng area kasi napansin namin we have a pilot testing Metro Manila, which is in Luzon. We have a pilot testing area in Visayas, which is Cebu but we don’t have in Mindanao kaya po we considered Mindanao to be included in the study,” Gardiola said.

“With Mindanao we also added a cap of 9,000 so 3,000 each. To add it all 63,000 na cap ngayon.”

The original as well as the extended pilot study only included Metro Manila and Metro Cebu. The decision to include Cagayan de Oro, Gardiola said, was because its local government unit already has ordinances allowing motorcycle taxis.

Angkas, which has 27,000 riders in its system, had slammed the TWG’s decision to put a cap on the number of bikers included in the pilot run, claiming it will disenfranchise some 17,000 of its biker-partners.

Gardiola also noted that the cap on each players will “not be limited” since the implementing rules on the operations of motorcycle taxis has a “provision on redistribution.”

This means that if a player was not able to enroll the required number of riders in its system, the shortfall can be redistributed to other service providers which are willing to accommodate.

The TWG also retracted its earlier recommendation to terminate the study on the viability of motorcycle taxis as a mode of public transport.

On Monday, the DOTr-TWG recommended the termination of its study on motorcycle ride-hailing operations, making the operation of the service illegal. Shortly after the announcement, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go said the pilot run of motorcycle taxis will continue, adding that even President Rodrigo Duterte wanted its continuation. —KBK, GMA News