The curtailment of ride-sharing services has led to a massive outcry from irate passengers, and a flurry of explanations and recriminations from the government’s transport bodies.
It is, in fact, a crisis of incompetence on one side, and inertia on the other.
This is not the first time that Grab and Uber have come under scrutiny by the government. During the Aquino administration, taxi operators and their allies in Congress questioned the entry of these transport network companies and initiated a temporary restraining order.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board had been processing applications for the TNC drivers’ permits until July 2016, when the agency stopped accepting applications due to a backlog. This coincided with a government review of the TNCs’s fare scheme and surge pricing policy which taxis do not have.
On Jan. 5 this year, according to Rappler, the LTFRB dismissed “over 15,000 out of some 32,000” franchise applications for Grab and Uber. This was because “applicants submitted incomplete requirements or did not appear at hearings,” as per GMA News.
LTFRB said that for now, Grab and Uber drivers who have agency approval may continue plying the roads. It is those drivers who do not have either a one-year certificate of public convenience (CPC) or a 45-day provisional authority who are considered ‘colorum’ (illegal).
The agency fined Grab and Uber P5 million each for assorted violations including allowing drivers to drive without franchises, without IDs, and without the company signage on their vehicles.
And as Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade pointed out, unregistered drivers are not paying taxes to the government, an omission which is against the law and unfair to those who are.Thus, his and LTRFRB’s call for only registered drivers to continue operating.
Now, let’s untangle this mess by looking at both sides.
First, the issue of incompetence: Why did LTFRB not address its backlog in processing applications? A government agency is bound to abide by certain regulations such as the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007 (Republic Act No. 9485) that requires that applications and requests be acted upon within five working days for simple transactions and 10 for complex transactions.
The agency should have addressed its operational deficiencies, for instance by hiring additional personnel and streamlining the application and approval processes.
Second, the issue of inertia: Why did Grab and Uber not ensure that submitted requirements were complete and hearings attended? Why did they not enforce the rules on the wearing of IDs and displaying the company logo? The TNCs and drivers should have complied with the procedures.
It is to the benefit of many people in the metro if TNCs are allowed to operate, simply because there are few other transport options. The reason this new type of transport service arose and became hugely popular is because someone saw that there was a gap and decided to fill it with an innovative service.
People take TNCs because they are convenient, safe for the most part, comfortable, and available. There aren’t enough taxis to cope with the demand and many of their drivers are arrogant and choosy. The mass rapid transit trains are inadequate and ill-maintained. Buses and jeepneys are uncomfortable and often unsafe. Route-plying vans are packed and slow. There aren’t enough point-to-point buses to make a difference, though they are convenient.
I surmise that the awful state of public transportation was one of the reasons that Rodrigo Duterte won the presidency; because people hoped he would provide solutions, and because they were fed up with former transportation secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya’s ineptitude over the issue of trains, license plates, and drivers’ licenses—his job, in short.
However, it seems little has changed since then.
The transportation department, LTRFB, and other related government agencies have been aware about the public transport problem for years. They should have addressed the backlog of applications. No excuses.
Stumped by the non-compliance on the part of TNCs and drivers? It’s something they should have foreseen and planned for. Are they even running risk management scenarios? If they had, they might have averted this situation by implementing proactive measures.
Citizens expect government to be on top of everything and to perform at the highest standards, because that’s how it should be.
So when is change coming to the road? We’re still waiting.
Dr. Ortuoste is a California-based writer. FB: Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, IG: @jensdecember, @artuoste