A transport advocacy group has appealed to Congress to prioritize bills seeking to legalize motorcycle taxis to help commuters cope with the current transportation crisis.
The Passenger Forum (TPF) convenor Primo Morillo said “allowing motorcycle taxis will give us a much-needed supply of public transport options at a time when there is an apparent deficit.”
“This almost became law in the 18th Congress through the efforts of almost 20 authors in the House, along with Senate Public Services Committee chair Grace Poe. We’ve also read and we support Senator JV Ejercito’s SB167. We hope the 19th Congress will act swiftly as commuters need all the help we can get with the current situation of our public transport,” he added.
Morillo explained that the proposal would also help the government’s job generation program without costing the government anything while widening the government’s tax base.
“The legalization of MC taxis will help the economy over-all. Commuting workers will get to their places of work faster, thousands of riders will have jobs, and the government will receive the taxes from all these transactions,” he said.
TPF also welcomes Grab PH’s acquisition of Move It, calling the deal a “step towards a more competitive market.”
“This is a welcome move as it strengthens competition among the three players in the motorcycle taxi study. We are hoping that more players will come in so they will all compete to offer better rates, service, and promotions.
Commuters always prefer having choices so long as this is done in compliance with current regulations,” Morillo added.