LTFRB: More motorcycle taxis to harm PUV earnings

MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has thumbed down calls to ramp up the motorcycle taxi fleet in Metro Manila, warning that doing so could shrink the earnings of public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers.

LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III said he is standing by the current cap of 45,000 on motorcycle taxis in Metro Manila.

Guadiz also chairs the technical working group (TWG) mandated to regulate motorcycle-for-hire providers Angkas, JoyRide PH and Move It.

He said it would be challenging for Metro Manila roads to add more motorcycles-for-hire, as this would clog up an already congested region. Raising the number of motorcycle taxis in the metro would also counter the objective of a multibillion-peso program of the government.

Guadiz is referring to the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP) that seeks to replace traditional jeepneys with modern units, estimated to cost at least P1.2 million each. For 2025, the Department of Transportation is spending P1.6 billion for the PTMP.

Although subsidies are available, PUV operators and drivers will shoulder the bulk of the cost in procuring modern jeepneys, and Guadiz is worried their investments would go to waste if more competitors are allowed on the roads.

“Yes, we will review the fleet cap, but we are not inclined to add riders for Metro Manila. Here, we have buses, jeeps and trains. We will do that for places outside Metro Manila where public transport is lacking,” Guadiz told The STAR.

“Our roads are becoming so crowded that it is causing accidents, and competition is becoming so tight that it may no longer be viable and profitable for the modernized jeepneys to come out. We need to support them. If you add motorcycle taxis, it would take away passengers for modernized jeepneys,” he said.

As for Move It, Guadiz said the LTFRB has suspended its order for the company to cut its fleet in Metro Manila by half. The agency will review the motion for reconsideration filed by Move It before it issues a final decision on the matter this month.

Last week, the LTFRB directed Move It to trim its fleet to 6,836 in compliance with a consensus issued in 2020. The consensus limits the rider fleet in Metro Manila at 45,000, of which 23,164 is for Angkas and 15,000 is for JoyRide.

Further, the order mandates Move It to stop adding new riders for a year and halt operations in Cebu City and Cagayan de Oro City.

In response, Move It filed a motion for reconsideration, warning that the order would lead to job losses and drive thousands of riders back to the illegal market of habal-habals.

Currently, Move It said its fleet is made up of 14,662 riders in Metro Manila, which means the order would result in job losses for 7,826 Filipinos.

On top of this, Move It said the order would also cause unemployment in Cebu and Cagayan de Oro. The company expects job displacement for 14,000 riders if the order is upheld in finality.

Move It also urged the TWG to consider the difference in the periods from the time the rider fleet was computed in 2020 to the transport market now. Move It said more and more commuters have since shifted to motorcycle taxis to avoid heavy traffic.

Guadiz said Move It is insisting it can hire 15,000 riders in Metro Manila through an order issued by former Land Transportation Office chief Edgar Galvante.

As such, Guadiz is demanding Move It to produce that order in black and white once the LTFRB summons its executives in a hearing.

Move It has managed to onboard more riders and raise its nationwide fleet following its merger with mobility giant Grab Philippines in 2022.