Imee Marcos wants cap on motorcycle taxi providers removed

Senator Imee Marcos called Thursday for the scrapping of the cap on motorcycle taxis for every service provider, calling it unfair competition.

“Ayoko talaga ng cap kahit taasan pa nila kasi it is really anti-competition. Bakit mo lalagyan ng cap mismong ikaw hindi mo alam yung datos,” Marcos said during the Kapihan sa Senado.

She said imposing a cap would be more understandable if done after an assessment that the additional motorcycle units are causing traffic.

“Pero at this point in time, a cap is unfair competition, it is really a restriction to trade that is unmerited and will not help us at all. So kahit dagdagan ng 5,000, para naman tayong nagtatawaran sa bilasang isda. Nakakatawa naman ‘yun,” she said.

The senator said the service providers should be allowed to operate without a cap.

“Hayaan muna lahat ‘yan tumakbo at kapag nakita na harang na o sobrang dami na nila saka nila sabihin. Pero right now na wala ni iisang datos yung LTFRB e kinailangan pantay pantay muna,” she said.

In December last year, the Department of Transportation announced it invited two new players, JoyRide and Move It, in the motorcycle taxi service as it extended its pilot run until March 2019.

The DOTr-technical working group placed a cap of 10,000 bikers per motorcycle taxi firm.

Angkas, the pioneer and sole participant in the pilot test,  has 27,000 accredited bikers.

On Monday, the DOTr-TWG recommended the termination of its study on motorcycle ride-hailing operations, making the operation of the service illegal. The senators appealed for the reversal of the decision with Senator Christopher ‘Bong’ Go saying he will talk to President Rodrigo Duterte and Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade about it.

The DOTr-TWG later said it will continue the pilot test and put the cap to 15,000 instead of 10,000 per firm. —LDF, GMA News