MANILA — The Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) Technical Working Group (TWG) on Wednesday announced that the motorcycle taxi pilot run will continue and that the rider cap has been increased to 63,000 nationwide.
The TWG also said the recommendation to blacklist service provider Angkas has been cancelled following the successful talks between the DOTr-TWG and the three players last Tuesday.
In a media interview after a hearing at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, TWG chair Antonio Gardiola Jr. said the new rider cap will be distributed to three pilot test areas with Metro Manila getting the biggest share of 45,000 riders limit for three players — Angkas, JoyRide, and Move It.
He said Angkas got a 20,000 rider cap after Move It agreed to give 5,000 of its 15,000 allotted riders while JoyRide kept a 15,000 rider limit in Metro Manila.
The remaining 18,000 allotted riders will be divided equally by Metro Cebu and in Cagayan de Oro City. Each of the participating service providers is allotted 3,000 riders in Cebu and 3,000 riders in Cagayan de Oro.
Gardiola said Cagayan de Oro has been included in an effort to include Mindanao in the pilot study for motorcycle taxis.
The new division of riders, he said, was made possible by a redistribution provision present in the revised guidelines submitted last December.
“Ang ibig sabihin po ng redistribution provision, is that, kung hindi kaya ng isang player to come up with that number of rider, ibibigay po ‘yun sa company na ready (What the redistribution provision means, is that, if one player can’t come up with that number of riders, it will be given to a company that is ready),” Gardiola said.
During Tuesday’s meeting also attended by DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade, Gardiola said the TWG also agreed to reverse its previous decision to blacklist Angkas to create “harmonious working atmosphere”.
In response, Angkas chief transport advocate George Royeca said they have agreed to drop all charges against the revised guidelines of the TWG and collaborate for the success of the pilot study.
“The case was to show a grievance on one of the provisions. And nagkausap po kami dun (we talked about that), and that what it’s for. It’s not for anything else,” Royeca said.
Gardiola said the pilot run, which was extended from December last year to March 23 this year, could still be further extended if necessary.
“I just want to relay what (Secretary Tugade) said yesterday. Although ‘yung study po natin ay hanggang March 23 (Although our study is set to end on March 23), but still, he is very open, he is very flexible on adjusting it or extending it,” Gardiola said.
The TWG earlier made the recommendations to blacklist Angkas and to terminate the motorcycle taxis pilot run due a “legal rigmarole”.
However, the TWG reconsidered its position after lawmakers criticized the transportation officials for ending the pilot test early without data and conclusions during last Monday’s Senate hearing.