LTO insists main road ban on e-bikes, e-trikes legal

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) on Friday stood pat that it has legal basis to apprehend and impound light electric vehicles (LEVs) such as e-bikes and e-trikes traveling on national highways.

LTO chief Assistant Secretary Markus Lacanilao said the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) Law allows for the implementation of the new policy, which would restrict e-bikes and e-trikes from plying the country's major roads.

"Reports stating that the intent prohibition on the operations of e-bikes and e-trikes on December 1 has no legal basis is entirely not correct," Lacanilao told reporters in a media briefing.

"The EVIDA IRR has already clarified that LEVs weighing 50 kilograms designated for exclusive private use are those not intended to operate on public highways, or which are designated only for use on non-government roads, or those," he said.

On Thursday, the LTO said it would implement the nationwide apprehension and impounding of e-bikes and e-trikes using national highways starting Monday, December 1, 2025. 

Those traveling on secondary roads will be issued warnings as local government units (LGUs) will be given five days to inform their constituents about the new policy.

"'Yung sa December 1, kapag sila ay tumakbo sa national highway, huhulihin namin sila, i-impound namin sila. Pero 'yung sa secondary road, bibigyan sila ng babala na bawal na. Hindi pa sila mai-impound," said Lacanilao.

(We will impound them if they use the national highways starting December 1, but if they ply secondary roads, they will be issued warnings.)

Meanwhile, the LTO said the EVIDA Law likewise provides for the registration of all electric vehicles except those intended for private use.

He said the agency is "ready" to register e-bikes and e-trikes under a previous administrative order (AO) outlining the registration process. The AO will be released within the week.

"Binilisan namin ang hulihan kaya bibilisan din namin ito. Ipapangako ko, by December, okay na ito," he added

(We expedited the apprehension so we will also expedite the registration process. I promised that by December, the guidelines will be completed.)

'Accountable' agencies

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Bicol Saro part-list Representative Teddy Ridon slammed the LTO policy, saying the agency has no legal basis for its implementation.

Ridon said the EVIDA Law allows the LEVs to use all major local and national roads.

He also said the agency cannot use DOTC–LTO Memorandum Circular 89-105 to impound unregistered e-bikes and e-trikes as the EVIDA Law states that "EVs intended for exclusive private use are not required to register with the DOTr and its attached agencies, including the LTO."

"We call on the DOTr (Department of Transportation), LTO, and MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority) to abandon any plan or policy to impound LEVs, particularly private-use LEVs, and to review their policies and guidelines to ensure full compliance with the EVIDA Law," Ridon said.

"We will hold these agencies accountable, through the appropriate congressional proceedings, for any overreach against private-use LEV users," he added. — VDV, GMA Integrated News