Transport group alarmed over push to stop Move It motorcycle taxi ops

A transport group on Monday expressed alarm over a recommendation to shut down the operations of motorcycle taxis.

In a press statement, the United Motorcycle Taxi Community (UMTC) pointed out that amid limited job opportunities and rising prices of commodities, the country needs job generators and not "job killers."

The group was protesting the proposal of House Committee on Metro Manila Development (CMMD) Chairperson and Manila Representative Rolando Valeriano to supposedly halt the operations of motorcycle taxi company Move It.

“Why is Congressman Valeriano killing jobs? Life is hard. Everything is expensive. We have families we need to take care of. If Move It is shut down and we lose our jobs, how will we feed them?” UMTC representative Romeo Maglunsod said.

GMA News Online reached out to Valeriano for comment but has yet to receive a reply.

Meanwhile, UMTC representative Jet Cruz appealed to lawmakers to use their power and influence to provide riders with more job opportunities by opening up the motorcycle taxi industry instead of limiting the number of players in the country.

"There are motorcycle taxi bills pending in Congress that could open the doors to more job opportunities, and we urge House leaders to prioritize this instead of paying attention to recommendations that would rob people of jobs and employment opportunities,” Cruz said.

In a report submitted to Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Valeriano said the MC Taxi technical working group should “study and consider all allegations and issues pertaining to Grab that now owns Move It, including those raised during the hearing of the CMMD, such as overcharging and shortchanging either or both their partner-riders and passengers."

"Absent a resolution and pending Grab and Move It's compliance with requests for information that are crucial in the determination of whether Grab is, in fact, a de facto fourth player in the pilot study, the MC Taxi TWG may consider prohibiting Move It, from the pilot study if warranted," the report read.

Fair competition

In a separate statement, House CMMD vice chairperson Joel Chua of Manila clarified that the said House panel’s move to exclude Move It from the government's motorcycle taxi pilot program is about ensuring fair competition and upholding rule of law.

Chua then accused ride-hailing app Grab Philippines of attempting to bypass government regulations and gain dominance in the app-based transportation sector, given that Grab Philippines already acquired  99% of Move It's business operations.

“The House Committee on Metro Manila Development fully supports fair competition within the motorcycle taxi industry. In pursuit of fairness, we conducted a thorough investigation into Grab's alleged back-door entry into the motorcycle taxi pilot program. Our investigation revealed multiple instances of non-compliance with proper procedures and the circumvention of government regulations,” Chua said.

One of these infractions, Chua said, includes Grab's disregard for the Department of Transportation Technical Working Group's (DOTr TWG) decision in September 2021 which prohibited any collaboration between Grab and Move It.

“Records indicate that Grab had previously sought inclusion in the MC (motorcycle) taxi pilot study but withdrew their application. They later made another attempt by partnering with Move It, despite the DOTr-TWG's clear rejection of the collaboration,” Chua added.

When Grab acquired Move It in August 2022, Chua said it put the company in position as a de facto fourth player in the motorcycle taxi pilot study.

In addition, Chua said Grab also defied the DOTr-TWG directive which provides that Grab could only enter the motorcycle taxi industry after the MC Taxi law had been passed."

“Our actions are driven by the goal of legislation. As Grab's acquisition of Move It did not comply with the necessary rules to be included in the motorcycle pilot study, Move It should not be considered one of the players. The Committee’s recent decision should serve as a firm reminder to Grab that circumventing the country's established rules and regulations is not acceptable. If they choose to disregard these rules, they must be prepared to be held accountable for their actions," Chua added.

Rides, delivery, food and retail platform Grab Philippines announced in August last year that it has acquired motorcycle taxi firm Move It, paving the way for the company to enter the motorcycle taxi market.

Move It thereafter defended its acquisition by Grab Philippines, and questioned why the transaction is being dubbed as a "backdoor entry" into the government's pilot run of motorcycle taxis.

Move It general manager Wayne Jacinto said the acquisition by Grab was done to boost the firm's services and provide more jobs to prospective riders.

Move It then said it remains as the third player in the government-backed pilot study for the viability of motorcycle taxis as a mode of public transport after the company was acquired by Grab Philippines.

Grab Philippines said in November 2022 that Move It continues to operate independently, months after it acquired the motorcycle taxi firm. —KG, GMA Integrated News