THE PHILIPPINE Congress has been urged to fast-track the passage of a bill that will legalize the operation of motorcycle taxis, citing its role in plugging gaps in public transportation and employment while addressing the need for regulation to ensure safety.
In a research paper released recently, transportation expert Rene S. Santiago and Libra Konsult, Inc. Senior Advisor Nigel Paul Villarete said there is adequate manpower available for motorcycle taxi drivers and significant demand for the service.
“Scarcity of employment opportunities enlarges the supply of MC-Tx (motorcycle taxi) drivers, [and] the inadequacy — if not total absence — of alternative modes of public transport in many areas which, in turn, fuels demand,” they said in their study titled “Out from the Cold: Unboxing Habal-Habal in the Philippines (and the Motorcycle-taxis in the Global South)”.
Habal-habal is the colloquial term for unregulated motorcycles that have long been providing service for a fee, especially in rural and remote parts of the country where there are no other forms of public transport.
Mr. Santiago, former president of the Transportation Science Society of the Philippines, called to focus on “technical regulation” of MC taxis to address concerns on road and passenger safety.
“The correct one is technical regulation via the 3 Es (engineering, enforcement, education) — particularly annual vehicle inspections — should be strengthened — for all motor vehicles, not just motorcycles or habal-habal. Our roads are unsafe, to begin [with],” he said in a Viber chat.
“It would be better if the bill will also be prioritized and passed as it will provide the public more opportunities for livelihood and [be] a good option for commuters,” Ronald Gustilo, national campaigner of Digital Pinoys, said via Viber.
Mr. Gustilo, however, said the proposed measure should add stiffer penalties that would discourage overpricing.
“The MC taxi for hire act should also include a mandatory period for settling cases like overpricing and safety violations,” he said.
He added that traffic regulations and improvement of roads should be implemented along with the legalization of motorcycle taxis.
Mr. Santiago noted that existing ride hailing companies and accredited motorcycles-for-hire already function under relatively adequate regulatory provisions.
These services are operating through a provisional authority as Republic Act (RA) No. 4136, or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code prohibits the use of two-wheeled vehicles for public transport.
The proposed Motorcycles-For-Hire Act, which will amend RA 4136, is still pending at the committee levels in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Senator Mary Grace S. Poe-Llamanzares, chair of the public services committee, said in a Viber chat, “The committee is currently waiting for submissions from the inter-agency MC taxi committee and other major stakeholders before it releases the committee report.” — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz