Motorcycle taxis set to return after gov’t okays resumption of pilot study

Motorcycle taxis are set to make their much-awaited comeback after the government allowed the resumption of the pilot study on the ride-hailing services to accommodate the riding public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The House of Representatives had earlier extended the motorcycle taxi pilot study program so that commuting workers will have more options when going to their workplaces as the country moves to reopen the economy.

In an interview with State-run PTV-4, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases decision allowing the resumption of the pilot study is good news for everyone.

“Mabuting balita po ‘yan kasi pupuwede na tayong mag-Angkas o mag-Joyride (This is good news because we can now use Angkas or JoyRide),” he said Friday.

According to Roque, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will first have to issue guidelines on motorcycle taxis before they can start picking up passengers.

“Mayroong pong guidelines na i-issue ang LTFRB. Pero ang maganda po rito is wala na pong hadlang (The LTFRB will have to issue guidelines first but the good thing here is, nothing is stopping Angkas and Joyride from returning anymore),” he said.

“Antayin lang natin ng sandali ang guidelines (Let’s just wait for the guidelines),” he added.

According to Roque, the resumption of the motorcycle taxi pilot study will be implemented and monitored by the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

It was revealed this month that the IATF endorsed the drafting of an “appropriate Congress resolution” that would allow motorcycle taxis to return to the streets. This was supported by several local chief executives in Metro Manila.

The Motorcycle Taxi (MC Taxi) Technical Working Group (TWG) led by Land Transportation Office (LTO) Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante completed the pilot run of motorcycle taxis in March this year.

Reacting to the announcement, ,DoTr Assistant Secretary Goddes Hope Libiran said that the department is ready to implement the IATF decision anytime once they receive from the NTF the minimum health standards or guidelines needed for the reopening of motorcycle taxis such as Angkas and JoyRide.

“There is already an existing guideline in place, but considering that we are in a pandemic, we will have to rely on the expert recommendation of the NTF as to the minimum health standards that shall be put in place to ensure that the program will not be a transmission vector of the virus,” Libiran emphasized.

The DOTr official also bared that the inter-agency technical working group (TWG) overseeing the motorcycle taxi pilot run will be reconvened to monitor and regulate the operations of participants.