MANILA -- Sen. Grace Poe on Tuesday said it is "high time" that motorcycles are legalized as a safe and convenient mode of public transportation in the country, citing the "overwhelming" demand for such alternative.
Poe cited the results of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) pilot study on the viability of motorcycle taxis, which started in 2019, showing that majority favored the two-wheeled motor vehicle for their cost and mobility.
“After more than four years of continuous studies by the technical working group (TWG), it now appears, without a doubt, that commuters are overwhelmingly in favor of legalizing motorcycles taxis,” Poe said during the opening the panel's deliberation of bills proposing the regulation of motorcycles-for-hire.
The pilot run allowed motorcycle transport network companies Angkas, JoyRide and Move It to have a combined total cap of 45,000 riders in Metro Manila.
“Four years and a global pandemic later, we believe it is now high time for Congress to use the data points from the ground to craft a policy that is responsive to the needs of the commuting public and all the stakeholders of the ever growing motorcycle taxi industry,” she said.
Poe authored Senate Bill No. 104, which seeks to allow and regulate the use of motorcycles as public utility vehicles.
Meanwhile, Sen. Nancy Binay urged the committee to clarify the coverage of their proposed law, as she raised the emergence of new three-wheeled vehicles that ferry passenger.
"My fear is that drivers of these vehicles are not trained," Binay said.
But Poe stressed motorcycle taxis must adhere to the highest standards of road safety.
"We need to legalize to reflect the reality on ground, but we also need the highest safety standard to make this a true mobility alternative," Poe said.
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