LAWMAKERS are now working on the passage of measures legalizing and regulating motorcycle taxis.
Last Monday, the House Committee on Transportation began public hearings on measures that seek to ensure the safety of commuters while generating employment and livelihood opportunities.
Chaired by Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo M. Acop, the House panel tackled several bills that seek to regulate motorcycles-for-hire. The panel also invited resource persons from national agencies, ride-hailing services and non-government organizations to provide input on the proposed measures.
In House Bill (HB) 2833 authored by Batangas 6th District Rep. Ralph G. Recto, the lawmaker stressed that “in recent years, motorcycles-for-hire also known as habal-habal, have been considered the fastest means of transportation, particularly amidst traffic congestion in urban areas like Metro Manila.”
According to Cebu Rep. Rachel Marguerite B. Del Mar, author of HB 128, a law regulating motorcycle taxis “will resolve the existing inadequacies in our laws and shall promote the safety and welfare of people who patronage motorcycles-for-hire.”
The bill, like similar measures, will require two-wheeled motor vehicles to register with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) so that they can be used as commercial vehicles and in order to transport passengers and goods.
Registration’s benefits
DEL Mar emphasized that registration “will ensure that operators and drivers will be held responsible for the negligent operation of their motorcycles.”
“The same will likewise prevent abuse from owners, operators and drivers, thus ensuring low-cost transportation,” the lawmaker said.
The explanatory note of HB 307 pointed out that experiences in other countries have shown that legalizing motorcycle taxis would also help provide jobs for the unemployed. HB 307 is authored by Camarines Sur Second District Rep. Luis Raymond Villafuerte, Camarines Sur Fifth District Rep. Miguel Luis Villafuerte, Camarines Sur First District Rep. Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata and Bicol Saro Partylist Rep. Nicolas Enciso VIII.
“Globally, motorcycle ride-hailing apps have been emerging in cities like Indonesia, Thailand, India, Paris and in East Africa, where the apps have been key in making motorcycle taxi rides safer,” said the Bicolano legislators.
“In Jakarta, motorcycle taxis have help driven unemployment rates downward as the ride-hailing apps attract many Indonesians to join as drivers,” they added.
In Metro Manila alone, more than 40,000 motorcycle riders are employed by three different transport network companies. In the absence of a law regulating them, motorcycles for hire have been allowed to operate under a pilot program supervised by the Department of Transportation Motorcycle Taxi Technical Working Group.