Fate of 27,000 Angkas bikers hangs in balance as permit to operate expires in December

Around 27,000 Angkas riders will be affected if the six-month pilot run for the motorcycle ridesharing company will not be extended, according to a Stand for Truth episode on Monday.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) in May allowed Angkas to operate for six months starting in June.

Despite the looming shutdown of Angkas' operations. a two-year Angkas rider still found time to give out free rides to students.

"[D]un ko nga nakita kasi yung kung ano yung pinag dadaanan ng mga studyante everyday. Lalo yung mga nakikita ko na nakapila, nag hihintay ng sasakyan, wala pang araw, madilim pa. So inisip ko, paano pag dating sa school, inaantok yang mga yan sigurado," Jester Carillo said.

"Sana bigyan po nila si Angkas na ma-legalize na. Malaking tulong po sa kabuhayan ng mga riders na kagaya ko atsaka po sa mga studyanteng kagaya nila ma'am at saka sa ibang tumatangkilik sa Angkas," he added.

Carillo earns P1,200 daily from giving Angkas rides.

"As a student kasi sobrang hirap lalo na kapag may hahabulin ka po [na] klase ganun. Hirap po talaga pag walang Angkas," a student said.

"Kapag late na ko. Late na late, kailangan ko, urgent talaga, nag a-Angkas ako. Kasi ano very accomodating tsaka sobrang bait ng drivers," another student added.

A one hour commute using other modes of transportation gets slashed to somewhere between 24 and 40 minutes when using Angkas, the report said.

Angkas drivers have lately been popular among commuters trying to beat the perennial traffic problems in Metro Manila, especially as some riders also offer shower caps, face masks, and helmets to their passengers.

Apart from these amenities, the management of Angkas boasts of its 99.9 percent safety record, which is why it is hoping for an extension of the company's permit to operate and for the passage of a bill legalizing motorcycle taxis.

However, the DOTr said legalizing motorcycle taxis are not easy.

"Ang hirap kasi na kami mismo yung mag allow ng pag extend ng Angkas na yan kasi, in the first place, hindi yan allowed in our laws. Sana may Senate and Congress, mag issue nga sa amin ng ganyang resolution," DOTr Undersecretary Mark de Leon said. — Joahna Lei Casilao/MDM, GMA News