800 drivers undergo training

Around 800 habal-habal (motorcycle-for-hire) drivers in Cebu City underwent skills assessment and lectures to improve their capability of transporting passengers.

Arnel Tancinco, executive assistant of Mayor Tomas Osmeña, said that ride-sharing apps Angkas, Grab and Uber sponsored the activity for those who wanted to sign up with them.

Tancinco said that Angkas spearheaded the assessment of the skills of the drivers.

Grab and Uber, for their part, organized lectures about road safety.

For Grab, 300 habal-habal drivers signified interest to be part of their services.

Angkas, Grab and Uber will launch additional services this month that will allow the public to book motorcycles online.

“The mayor really wants to support the habal-habal industry but we have a problem on how to regulate them because until now, we don’t know if we can regulate them. But we want to level up their industry by giving them alternatives. That’s why we’re introducing this system to them,” Tancinco told SunStar Cebu.

At present, Tancinco said that there are at least 10,000 motorcycle drivers operating in 80 sites in the city. /