Senators push for bill allowing use of motorcycles as PUVs

Senators on Tuesday pushed for the passage of the bill that would allow the use of motorcycles as public utility vehicles or motorcycles-for-hire.

Public Services Committee Chairperson Senator Grace Poe sponsored Committee Report 46 which would amend Republic Act 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code “a 1964 law which did not foresee the population boom and its attendant traffic congestion in such proportions that we have today.”

The proposed bill defined motorcycles-for-hire as any two-wheeled motor vehicle which was registered with the Land Transportation Office, transports passengers and goods on a for-hire basis, and may utilize online ride-hailing or pre-arranged transportation platforms.

These for-hire motorcycles would weigh less than 1,000 kilograms, have the ability to travel faster than 50 kilometers per hour, have a minimum engine displacement of 125 cubic centimeters (125 cc), and be a backbone type built.

Poe said there were 18.8 million motorcycles which composed 71 percent of registered vehicles in the country.

“Isa sa bawat tatlong Filipino household ay may motorsiklo, at 51% dito ay ginagamit para sa kabuhayan. Mayroon ding 134 na habal habal terminals sa Metro Manila pa lang. Kung may ganito kalaking supply, ibig sabihin may demand. Ito mismo ang dahilan kung bakit natin gustong kilalanin ang motorsiklo bilang pampublikong sasakyan,” she said.

She said legalization and regulation would help address safety risks present in both registered motorcycles-for-hire and the “colorums” or habal-habal motorbikes.

The move would also improve commuter welfare by giving them the option to choose legitimate service providers which would then encourage the habal-habal drivers to migrate to a regulated system in order to improve their services.

Poe said that at least 10 countries – France, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, East Africa, Nigeria, Brazil, and Mexico – had legalized motorcycles-for-hire.

“This global trend shows that motorcycles can be safe given a properly implemented regulatory framework which puts safety as its top priority….It is about time that we harness the power of technology to help us address mobility issues. In terms of numbers alone, shared motorcycles are an untapped resource that we should take advantage of,” she explained.

“Isabatas na po natin ang pampublikong motorsiklo. And we will seek for the guidance of the Senate President who drives himself to work everyday. I'm sure he has good inputs on the limitations and also on the rights for the new Motorcycle for Hire law.”

Safe public transport

Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto said the bill and the implementing rules it would birth, would improve the present situation, resulting in a public transport that was safe for the driver, the passenger, and other road users.

“Like all inventions, the motorcycle taxi is a product of necessity. When the time to queue for an MRT ticket is longer than the ride itself, when buses are packed like Spam, hindi na po sardinas, when rides are hard to come by, that one has to wake up by 4 in the morning, so he can be at work by 8, and leave by 5 in the afternoon, with no guarantee that he can be home by 9, then relief comes in the form of an empty seat behind the motorcycle driver,” Recto said in his co-sponsorship speech.

He said the bill was not a mother-of-all franchises that would mass legalize motorcycle taxis in one stroke of the pen as drivers would still have to secure a Certificate of Public Convenience or a special permit from the LTFRB.

He said the bill was also a response to the Department of Transportation's argument that as long as the ban on motorcycle taxis in RA 4136 existed, their hands were tied as far as legalizing services Angkas, Joy Ride, and others were concerned.

Recto noted that motorbikes were the ride of choice of President Rodrigo Duterte.

“He is our biker-in-chief. And by safely logging tens of thousands of kilometers in crisscrossing Mindanao and the Visayas, he had demonstrably shown the motorbike as a safe ride. Although hundreds of CCs separate the bikes they ride, in general, what is good for the President must be good for the ordinary citizen,” said the senator.

“So let us pass this bill, my dear colleagues, not for the sake of the President, but for the people. And finally, for the record, Mr. President, I continue to ride bikes. It was what I used in courting the lady who would later become my wife,” he added, referring to Batangas Rep. Vilma Santos.

Alternative mode

Senator Francis Tolentino, co-author and chairman of the Local Government Committee, also expressed support for the bill which he described as timely and much-needed as it would regulate the operation of motorcycles-for-hire in order to serve the needs of the riding public as a common carrier.

“Institutionalizing motorcycles-for-hire will not only provide ease and convenience in commute, but more importantly, it will ensure a viable and alternative mode of transportation for our many kababayan who every day wage a battle against traffic in Metro Manila and other urban areas and also for those who use the habal-habal and skylab in rural areas,” he said.

He said that given the changing landscape and the rising needs of the commuting public, there was a need to respond to its challenges and regulate the same as he reminded his colleagues that as legislators, they had a mandate to craft laws in response to the times.

“It is of my firm belief that this bill will be an invaluable addition to our legal arsenal in our pursuit of an accessible and affordable public transportation for an improved quality of life to the Filipino people,” he said.

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go said the worsening traffic situation in urban areas around the country, especially in Metro Manila, had compelled people to look for alternative modes of transportation.

“Demand for and use of motorcycles have increased dramatically as they are more mobile, affordable and accessible than other vehicles,” he said.

Go added that it was important to ensure the safety of both the rider and the passenger by having them abide by road safety standards and regulations.

“The government should, therefore, impose stringent regulations and strict monitoring on the compliance of motorcycle riders and passengers to ensure their safety,” he said.

The proposed measure would thus help thousands of previously unregulated habal-habal drivers by enabling them to become part of the formal economy.

All the senators agreed to co-sponsor the bill, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said during the session. — DVM, GMA News