The Department of Transportation (DOTr) will release guidelines on the use of electric scooters, which has seen a boom while mass transport remains limited to prevent the spread of COVID-19, an official said Tuesday.

The guidelines will specify that only holders of driver’s licenses can ride scooters, and will list down areas where these can be used, said Land Transportation Office chief Edgar Galvante.

“Mayroon nang draft ng administrative order na magko-consolidate ng guidelines. Ito’y hinihintay lang na maaprubahan ni Secretary [Arthur] Tugade ng DOTr,” he told TeleRadyo.

(There is an administrative order draft that will consolidate the guidelines. It is waiting for the approval of DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade.)

Scooters for beginners cost around P15,000 to P25,000, while more advanced models can fetch as much as hundreds of thousands of pesos, said Tim Vargas, founder of the interest group Electric Kick Scooter Philippines.

The scooter industry saw a 110-percent growth in May to July compared to January-March, he said.

“Dahil dumarami kami, dumarami rin iyong nakikita nating kamote riders. It’s the same with cars din naman saka mga motorsiklo… iyong mga motoristang binabangga iyong nanahimik na barrier,” he said in a separate TeleRadyo interview.

(Because we are increasing, there is also a spike in kamote riders. It’s the same with motorcycles and cars, with which some motorists hit barriers.)

TeleRadyo, Sept. 22, 2020