Transportation secretary, Arthur Tugade, has recently ordered the resumption of the Motorcycle Taxi Pilot Study which will allow operations of ride-hailing companies such as MoveIt, Angkas and Joyride. Their operations start today, November 23, 2020.
“In compliance with the directive of Secretary Arthur P. Tugade of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the pilot run for the motorcycle taxi will resume on 23 November 2020, subject to the compliance of the three (3) participating groups, Angkas, Move It, and JoyRide, to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) - National Task Force (NTF) COVID19 issued guidelines,” said the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in a statement.
In a meeting held last week, government representatives from the Motorcycle Taxi Technical Working Group (MC Taxi TWG), issued new guidelines to make commuting through MC Taxi safe for the public amid the ongoing pandemic.
The TWG is composed of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), the Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (i-ACT), and the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP HPG).
Though we have yet to receive a copy of the new guidelines as of this writing, MC taxi operators have already imposed their own driver and passenger safety protocols. These include “no own helmet, no ride”; use of barrier / shield, temperature checks, mandatory wearing of facemask and many more.
The original pilot study was supposed to conclude last March with the TWG submiting their recommendation to congress to aid legislation, but the coronavirus outbreak has sidelined its outcome.
