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MANILA - The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board will grant "generic" franchises for 65,000 drivers of transport network vehicles that may be used for any ride-hailing company, a transport official said Friday.

"Unlike before, ang mga prangkisa generic na. Itong 65,000 may be accredited with one or any or all TNCs (transport network company)," Aileen Lizada, LTFRB board member, said in an interview on DZMM.

Before the new policy, drivers who want to be a part of a ride-hailing firm will first secure accreditation from companies before applying for permits at the LTFRB.

This prompted the LTFRB to place a cap on the number of Transport Vehicle Network Service (TNVS) drivers to avoid too many cars on the road.

"We level the playing field so kahit saan, puwede magpa-accredit. We do not like 'yung nangyari before na nag-aaccredit sila tapos diretso activate na," Lizada said when asked why the process of obtaining permits was reversed.

Drivers who will be blacklisted by one ride-hailing firm will be prohibited from operating under other transport network companies, she said.

The LTFRB is also in the process of reviewing the applications of 3 more TNCs after Grab acquired rival firm Uber, Lizada said.

"We will see how they will play off and present better services to the riding public," she said.