Starting April, electric vehicles such as e-trikes and e-bikes, will be banned on major thoroughfares in Metro Manila.
The Metro Manila Council (MMC), through the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), approved a resolution on Wednesday prohibiting e-vehicles from accessing major thoroughfares for certain types of transportation and other types of conveyances.
Per MMDA Regulation No. 24-022 series of 2024, e-vehicles, such as e-bikes and e-trikes, as well as tricycles, pedicabs, pushcarts, and “kuliglig” (tractor-type vehicles) are no longer allowed on national roads, circumferential, and radial roads in Metro Manila.
The prohibition shall be enforced on the following roads in Metro Manila, which are under the jurisdiction of the MMDA:
Claro M. Recto Avenue, President Quirino Avenue, Araneta Avenue, Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, Katipunan / Carlos P. Garcia, Southeast Metro Manila Expressway, Roxas Boulevard, Taft Avenue, South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Shaw Boulevard, Ortigas Avenue, Magsaysay Boulevard / Aurora Boulevard, Quezon Avenue / Commonwealth Avenue, Andres Bonifacio Avenue, Rizal Avenue, Road 10: Del Pan / Marcos Highway / McArthur Highway, Elliptical Road, Mindanao Avenue, and Marcos Highway.
MMDA Acting Chairman Don Artes said that the fines for those who violate the prohibition will be P2,500.
A driver’s license shall also be required for those who will drive electric-powered motor vehicles and tricycles. Those who cannot present their driver’s license upon apprehension shall be subject to impoundment of their respective vehicles.
“Due to the proliferation of e-vehicles, the MMC deemed it imperative to regulate and penalize those who will traverse the national roads using such means of transportation,” he said.
Artes said the primary consideration in passing the resolution is concern for the safety, not just of e-vehicle users, but of other motorists, as well.
“We are not totally banning the use of e-vehicles. We just want to regulate it, since it has been a common cause of traffic and road crash incidents,” he emphasized.
Last year alone, the MMDA registered 554 road crash incidents involving e-vehicles.
“We won’t wait for these figures to blow up before we regulate it, considering the increasing number of users of these kinds of vehicles,” Artes said.
The regulation is set to be implemented in April following an information and awareness campaign.
Meanwhile, each Metro Manila local government unit will craft its respective ordinances for the secondary and other inner roads under their jurisdiction.
San Juan City Mayor and MMC President Francis Zamora said that the local chief executives in the National Capital Region will ensure that the ordinances to be passed relative to the regulation will be unified to avoid confusion.
Malabon City Mayor Jeannie Sandoval expressed support for the regulation and for its effective implementation.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Metro Manila mayors collectively ban e-vehicles on major roads.”