LTFRB wants to ban use of tricycles as school service

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) wants to ban the use of tricycles as a school service, a report by Saleema Refran in 24 Oras said Wednesday.

LTFRB board member Aileen Lizada said that overloading tricycles, a common occurrence, is illegal and unsafe.

"Hindi kasi siya safe. 'Yung isang request namin 'yung tricycles kung pwede 'wag na payagang maging school bus service. Let us think more of the safety nung mga bata rather kung ano ang ititipid natin," she said.

"We don't like road crashes involving, and sasabihin sayang why did government not step into it," she added.

The laws on the use of tricycles as school service vary per city, the report said.

Only the local government can issue tricycle franchises, so the decision falls on their hands.

While becoming a school service is not part of the mandate of tricycles, many families choose this option to send their children to school because it is the cheaper option compared to school buses.

Tricycle service ranges from P300 to P700 per month, depending on the distance from home to school, whereas school buses charge from P500 to P4,000 every month.

However, some tricycle drivers carry up to nine passengers in their vehicles.

Citing data from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the report said that 3,655 tricycle accidents have been recorded in Metro Manila in the past year.

Fourteen people died while more than a thousand were injured in these accidents. — Jessica Bartolome/BM, GMA News