Motorcycle taxis a ‘stopgap measure’

MANILA, Philippines — Motorcycle taxis are simply a “stopgap measure” and they will be phased out once the current mass transport problems are resolved, the inter-agency technical working group (TWG) said on Thursday.

“If we want to regulate it, at some point in time it will be slowly phased out,” TWG consultant Alberto Suansing told “The Chiefs” on Cignal TV’s One News.

He said the government is focused on mass transportation and the motorcycle taxi sector is not the long-term thrust of the government.

He noted that they have yet to determine if motorcycle taxis are really safe as a mode of transportation as it leaves the passenger more vulnerable to accidents.

Suansing stressed the need to regulate motorcycle taxis as he said the government does not want a “Hanoi situation” wherein the roads are packed with motorcycles.

The TWG earlier this week reached an understanding with private players, weeks after it locked horns over the new guidelines for the pilot run.

The three ride-hailing firms taking part in the study would each get 15,000 riders in Metro Manila and 3,000 in Cebu and Cagayan de Oro.