The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board recently said it is investigating reports in social media and phoned-in complaints from the public about the alleged overcharging by some riders of motorcycle taxi operator Angkas during rush hour in Metro Manila.
An LTFRB executive advised commuters to report excessive charges by taking a screenshot and sending it to the LTFRB Facebook page.
The official who is involved in the LTFRB’s investigation of the complaints said of the three motorcycle operators, with Joyride and Move It being the other two, Angkas was the recipient of mounting complaints on the issue of overcharging.
The official said that in the course of the investigation, it was found that Angkas had not given a breakdown of the fare it charges. “In one instance, a passenger booked the three taxi operators over the same origin and destination, and Angkas turned out to be the most expensive,” the official said.
The LTFRB is also investigating reports that the fare matrix released by the board, used as guidelines for passengers using motorcycle taxis on the correct fares to be paid for the service, were not followed by Angkas riders.
The fare matrix, released on Jan. 27, 2020 by the LTFRB, mandated the following fares in Metro Manila: P50 for the first 2 kilometers, P10 until the 7th kilometer; P15 for subsequent kilometers. In Metro Cebu/Cagayan De Oro, the fare is P20 for the first 2 kilometers; P16 up till 8 kilometers, and P20 for subsequent kilometers.
Based on customer complaints on social media and those phoned in at the LTFRB, Angkas riders were allegedly ignoring the use of their apps, and instead routinely charged passengers from five to 10 times more than the posted fare matrix, especially during peak or rush hours.
Complainants called on the owners/management of local motorcycle taxis to orient their riders to respect the fare matrix mandated by the LTFRB as the public is confused on what are the real Angkas rates.
The LTRB board promised to submit a report of their findings soon, with the appropriate penalty, if it was proven Angkas riders were overcharging above the mandated fare matrix. “We will be submitting by next week our report to the board so they can issue their decision, or whatever order they deem best for this situation so that this practice will end,” the official said.
He said the LTFRB would continue the successful monitoring tactic of deploying mystery riders in the next few weeks to assess what’s happening “on the ground” with regards to how motorcycle taxis follow the LTFRB fare matrix.
A recent LTFRB study showed that downloads of ride-hailing apps reached 5 million so far, with the number of motorcycle taxis higher than ever and now approaching the 50,000 mark.