Transport regulators cracked down hard on the service that offered bikes for hire, which is illegal under Republic Act No. 4136. It was shut down twice, in 2017 and in 2018, until traffic congestion and the rising demand for mobility options forced the government to reconsider legalizing and regulating the motorcycle taxi industry.
Free ride-hailing apps continue to grow in number. If they are left unchecked, transport regulators worry, incidents that may arise from their operations could taint the integrity of the pilot test established precisely to ensure road safety.
When ride-hailing platforms fail to match passengers with a ride to work on time, commuters turns to an unlikely website: Facebook.
Jofti Villena, Project Manager of the Bloomberg Initiative for¬ Global Road Safety – Legal Development Programme (BIGRS-LDP)
An online community of motorcycle taxi riders and drivers book rides all over Metro Manila through Facebook.
