MANILA - Angkas on Monday said Monday it supports the government's decision to suspend the collaboration between its rivals MoveIt and Grab, saying there should be no disruptions in the ongoing pilot run for motorcycle taxis.

The pilot run was supposed to run for 6-months under the supervision of an inter-agency technical working group, but it has been running for almost 3 years now.

Angkas, Joyride and MoveIt are the 3 players included in the pilot run. The recent collaboration by MoveIt and Grab was frozen by the Department of Transportation citing violations of guidelines.

"Being at the tail-end of the pilot, what you don’t want to do is disrupt the study…I support the technical working group’s decision, making sure the pilot concludes smoothly," Angkas CEO George Royeca told ANC.

"If you add some new players in the game, it might change not just the dynamic but also some of the information we would need to be able to finish it off already to come up with proper regulations," he added.

• DOTr suspends Grab, Move It motorcycle taxi collab due to violations
• MOVE IT motorcycle taxi service to be available via Grab platform

Royeca said Angkas had to cut down its fleet "by choice" during the pandemic to ensure all drivers could earn. Before COVID, riders can earn as much as P2,000 per day.

Today, drivers earn "a little less" compared to 2019 rates, or about P1,300 per day, he said.

Angkas remains hopeful that a law could be passed to finally allow the use of motorcycle taxi for public transport, Royeca said.

• Angkas gets DOTr nod to operate until Dec. 9

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