Motorcycle taxi riders eye ID verification, SOS button for added protection

Motorcycle taxi riders have proposed identity verification of passengers and an SOS button in their ride-hailing app, among other safety measures, to boost their protection amid incidents of violence against their colleagues.

1-Rider Party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez today met with representatives of various motorcycle ride-hailing platforms to discuss measures that can be enforced to protect riders.

The meeting happened after motorcycle taxi rider Ren Ren De Laviga was shot and killed by his passenger in Cavite, and Fabio Norberte, Jr was stabbed and killed by his passenger in Caloocan City.

The suspects in both cases reportedly stole the riders' motorcycles.

For now, motorcycle taxi apps have their own safety protocols, but Angkas, which was present in the meeting, said they agreed that there should be standardized protocols.

One of the protocols discussed was for the verification of passengers.

"Aside from yung driver verification, magkakaroon o pinag-aaralan yung magkaroon din ng verification para sa mga pasahero. Para po in the same way na nate-trace natin sino ang driver eh nakikita rin natin kung sino ang passengers na can be subject to masasamang loob o may criminal tendencies," Angkas Head of Public Affairs Carlo Castro said in an ambush interview.

Also present in the meeting were representatives from Grab, JoyRide, Move It, and Maxim.

Gutierrez, in an ambush interview, said passengers registering on a ride-hailing app must "include the government ID po para talagang kilala, para ma-identify po yung mga pasahero natin."

"Mayroong privacy issues to consider, of course, anytime na pino-process po 'yung ating mga personal information. Pero the fact of the matter is, nasasakupan din naman po talaga 'yung MC Taxi apps natin under Data Privacy Law. Meron din po silang mga data privacy managers as mandated by law. And we think this is a very minimum ask lang naman po. Napakadaling requirement lang naman po ito na maitagdag ang pag-verify ng ating mga pasahero," he added.

Another measure, Gutierrez said, "is the inclusion of the right of the rider to refuse carriage for the passenger. Kasi po sa ngayon, ang nangyayari, 'yung mga riders natin, natatakot po sa ating mga pasahero dahil they have all the power. Siyempre, consumer rights, sila magreklamo. Kahit hindi totoo, minsan, kawawa yung rider. They will be found liable."

Other measures include a 24-7 hotline, as well as an SOS button in the app.

"Para po yung riders natin, kahit na bumibiyahe ay readily silang mechanism within the app para mag-report ng sakuna o masasamang loob in the course of their trips," Castro said.

Those in the meeting also discussed sharing information about erring riders and passengers.

"Alam po natin sa MC Taxi apps, meron silang database ng mga erring riders and also erring passengers. So dapat i-include po natin doon, not only for the app itself, pero dapat ma-share po yung data na ito with other apps. If we consider the fact na minsan yung mga erring passengers, kapag na-blacklist po sa isang app, lilipat lang naman sa bagong app," Gutierrez explained.

Gutierrez is scheduled to meet with the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board next week, where he will recommend these measures.

"Sa DOTR, meron na po silang regulatory powers. Ilalapit na po namin doon sa kanila, sa executive. Sa tingin po namin, itong mga polisiya na naisip po namin ay puwede na po naman nila i-implement," Gutierrez said.

In Tina Panganiban-Perez's report on "24 Oras" on Friday, several motorcycle taxi riders expressed concern over the growing safety risks they face on the job.

One rider's handwritten note taped to the back of his helmet recently went viral on Facebook, appealing to passengers to spare him from harm.

“Buntis po ang asawa ko. Huwag nyo po ako sanang saktan," the note read.

(My wife is pregnant. Please do not hurt me.)

Other riders interviewed for the report said they have become increasingly anxious about accepting trips at night because of potential threats from passengers.

“Parang ayoko na nga bumyahe ng panggabi. Parang kinikilatis ko yung customer, sir, kung sa galaw o kung ano ba yung gagawin niyang ano,” said Richmond Agtarap, a motorcycle taxi rider.

(I feel like I don't want to drive at night anymore. I find myself closely sizing up passengers—judging them by how they move or what they might be planning to do.)

Jill Joseph, another motorcycle taxi rider, said the uncertainty of nighttime trips has become a constant source of fear.

“Nakakatakot po, kasi di mo po alam ‘yung bababaan mo kung madilim ba. Dasal na lang po kasi may dalawa po akong anak," he said.

(It's terrifying because you don't know whether the drop-off point will be in a dark area. I just pray because I have two children to think about.)

The Motorcycle Taxi Community Alliance (MTCA) called on passengers to respect and help ensure the safety of motorcycle taxi drivers.

“Maawa naman tayo, maawa naman po sila sa rider. May pamilya iyong tao, may anak, papatayin mo. Naghahanapbuhay nang maayos,” MTCA chairperson Romeo Maglunsod said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(Have mercy on the riders. They have families and children, yet you would kill them? They're simply trying to earn an honest living.)

“Bakit ganon? Lumabas lang ako para maghanapbuhay, iyong na pala iyong huling byahe ko.”

(Why does it have to be like that? I only went out to earn a living, yet it could end up being my last ride.) —with Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/LDF/VBL, GMA News