Most trikes in city don't have permit to operate

CEBU, Philippines - Most of the tricycles for hire plying the different barangays of Cebu City are considered colorum or don’t have any permit to operate, the City Traffic Operations Management revealed.

During his appearance before the Cebu City Council, Arnel Tancinco, executive officer of Citom said that only 308 tricycles for hire and 217 cargo-typed tricycles in the city have permits to operate.

Tricycles for hire are commonly seen in the barangays of the south district such as Tisa, Labangon, Punta Princesa, Pardo, Inayawan, Mambaling, among others.

It was learned that owners of colorum motorcycles for hire are willing to obtain permits for the operation of their units.

In this regard, Citom was tasked to monitor all the tricycles in the city before an amendatory ordinance regulating them is approved in the City Council.

Tancinco however admitted that they find difficulties in conducting traffic counts on these tricycles for the reason that most of them are operating illegally.

“It’s very difficult for us to conduct a traffic count since more than half of the total number of tricycles running in Cebu City is colorum,” Tancinco said.

Acting mayor Michael Rama expressed disappointment on the report of Tancinco saying that it’s their job to monitor the traffic count.

“Ang Citom man gud hasta kanang butanga ang konsihal na man nuon maoy patrabahoon unsa may trabaho nila, kung naa silay technical, competent sila dili lang estorya, manaug sila asa ning urban barangays,” Rama emphasized.

The acting mayor who also sits as chairman of the Motorcycle for Hire Regulatory Board of the city instructed Tancinco to go over with the study.

Rama agreed with the opinion of City Administrator Francisco Fernandez that Citom must coordinate with the barangay officials on the task.

Nevertheless, the acting mayor suggested to the City Council to pass a resolution asking Citom to conduct the study, as the amendatory ordinance regulating tricycles for hire was put to table while waiting for the result of the analysis of the traffic count.

Rama said that motorcycles for hire have contributed to the worsening traffic situation in the city; therefore, they should be regulated. — Elly Bolonos/WAB (THE FREEMAN)