Fate of 27,000 Angkas biker-partners now in gov’t’s hands —DBDOYC

The fate of 27,000 biker-partners of motorcycle ride-sharing and delivery service Angkas is now in the hands of the government, a company official said Wednesday.

The Department of Transportation(DOTr)  has given DBDOYC Inc.’s Angkas the chance to prove it is a safe means of public transportation, under a six-month pilot operations ending this December.

“The truth is that the fate of the 27,000 biker-partners will be in the hands of the government after the trial run,” George Royeca, Angkas chief Transport Advocate, told GMA News Online.

Royeca is now banking on the DOTr to see the value of Angkas as an alternative mode of transportation, especially as the six-month pilot run nears its end.

“The pilot was never intended to be permanent. The most that we can do now is hope that the DOTr was able to see the merits of our service and how we are able to help alleviate the struggles of our countrymen in their daily commute,” Royeca said.

Around 27,000 Angkas riders will be affected if the six-month pilot will not be extended by December 2019.

At this point, Royeca said he is confident that Angkas was able to live up to the expectations of government agencies and the commuters.

“Suffice it to say that we did our part by ensuring that all aspects of our operations conform to the standards set by the TWG that the DOTr convened to assess the viability of our service,” Royeca noted.

Earlier this year, the DOTr created a technical working group to study the legality, efficiency and safety aspects of the motorcycle taxi’s operations.

“What we all need to continue to do now is to work with the various stakeholders, especially the government, towards creating a more permanent solution towards institutionalizing motorcycle taxis as one of the important solutions to our ongoing traffic crisis,” Royeca noted.

“And as long as the traffic situation persists, Angkas is here to stay and will continue to help the Filipino commuters,” he added. —VDS, GMA News