House transpo panel seeks lifting of ban on motorcycle taxis

The House committee on transportation will move for the lifting of the ban on motorcycle taxis to ease the burden of the commuting public following the reversion of Metro Manila to general community quarantine (GCQ), panel chair Edgar Sarmiento said Wednesday.

“The panel sees the importance of providing accessible public transport now that we are back to GCQ and many members of the committee feel that our motorcycle taxis could fill the gap on our prevailing transportation vacuum due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Sarmiento said in a statement.

According to him, the panel members had already agreed to endorse the use of motorcycle taxis like Angkas even before Metro Manila and nearby provinces had reverted to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).

However, they did not endorse the recommendation to the Department of Transportation  and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases right away following the shift to MECQ on August 4 which banned the use of all public transportation, he added.

Sarmiento said that panel members favored the use of motorcycle taxis because it has a lesser risk of multiple transmission as only one passenger can ride a motorcycle.

At the same time, contact tracing is also easier to conduct because all bookings are automatically logged into the system of the motorcycle-hailing app, he added.

The lawmaker pointed out, however, that motorcycle riders and passengers should still strictly observe health and safety protocols.

For one, riders must be well-covered from head to toe and must use face shields. Passenger helmets should also be disinfected after each use and be equipped with replaceable covers, he said.

Passengers should likewise be required to use face shields, and should only be allowed to ride the motorcycle if they are fully covered to reduce the risk of virus transmission, he added.

For added protection, Sarmiento said riders should also be required to undergo swab testing for COVID-19 and be certified free from the disease before being activated.

Passengers should also fill out an online contact tracing form before they are allowed to book a ride, he added.

The National Capital Region and other provinces reverted to GCQ starting August 19, allowing for the return of more public transportation options.—AOL, GMA News