By Lorenz S. Marasigan
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) ordered on Wednesday the temporary cessation of the operations of GrabBike due to the lack of transport guidelines on the app-based ride-hailing service.
Winston M. Ginez, chairman of the regulatory body, explained that such order was released because the company—operating under the brand GrabTaxi—is only accredited by the Board to offer Transport Network Vehicles (TNVs) using its digital platform technology.
“As part our mission to ensure the riding public’s safety and convenience, we will not tolerate Transportation Network Companies, or TNCs, to provide transport service using motorcycles or bikes until we have set the proper guidelines and regulations,” he said.
The order does not cover the operation of an Internet-based, pre-arranged transportation mode for passengers using motorcycles.
The company has five days from the receipt of his letter dated January 21 to stop the operations of GrabBike, and explain in writing why the company is engaging in a service that has yet to be authorized by the LTFRB.
Failure of the company to comply with the directives will cause the board to cancel the accreditation of GrabTaxi as a TNC.
“We will have no option but to cancel GrabTaxi’s accreditation if they continue to offer motorcycle transport service, which is not part of its business model and not what the Board had envisioned for TNCs and TNVs,” Ginez said.
Because motorcycle is the most economical and easiest means of transportation to beat traffic congestion in the city, they are also involved in alarming statistics on motorcycle accidents in the world.
In its 2015 road-safety report, the World Health Organization (WHO) found that 1.25 million people have died globally due to road accidents, with motorcyclists comprising 23 percent of the figure.
The WHO report also said that more than half—or 53 percent—of those who die in road accidents in the Philippines are motorcycle riders.
There are about 3.4 million motorcycle users in the Philippines, and most of them are beginners. Studies showed that there are about an average of 16,208 motorcycle accidents recorded in the country every year.
Despite the implementation of the helmet law in the country, motorcycles have the highest fatality accident rate in Metro Manila from January to November 2015, according to statistics compiled by Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s Metro Manila Accident Recording and Analysis System (MMARAS) Database.
The MMARAS database also showed that of the 696 road fatalities recorded in that period, 236 were due to motorcycle accidents.
The database also recorded a total of 166,883 vehicles involved in road accidents in Metro Manila, with motorcycles coming in second with 18,482, next to private cars with 81,837.