MANILA, Philippines — The Lower House has approved the bill that seeks to legitimize the operation of motorcycle taxis and craft clear regulations that will be applied on the said mode of transportation as well as that of motorcycle delivery services in the country.
The House Committee on Transportation on Wednesday announced that it has approved the proposed Motorcycles-for-Hire Act.
The proposed bill which awaits deliberation in the House plenary will give way to the drafting of standard operating procedures as well as penalties to be imposed on violators in the operation of motorcycles for hire.
This will guarantee that riders will own the responsibility of ensuring the safety of their passengers or the products that they will deliver.
Motorcycles to be used in such services must be registered under the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in accordance with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) standards.
No modification or alteration must be done in the original make of the motorcycle except for the installation of a top box and motorcycle bracket.
Motorcycle taxi and delivery riders must possess a professional driver’s license.
Failure to abide by these regulations will render fines and cancelation of licenses of riders or revocation of the franchise of the operator.
House Committee chairman and Samar Congressman Edgar Mary Sarmiento said the proposed bill will allay concerns of the riders on the changing policies of the government on motorcycle taxis.
“Masayang masaya na after all these years makakamit na rin po natin ang batas–maisabatas na ang pagre-regulate ng motorcycle taxi na alam naman po natin ginagawa na po ng milyon-milyong ating mga kababayan,” said Angkas co-founder and Chief Operations Advocate George Royeca.
He said their group sees this development as a big help to the riding public amid the pandemic.
“Alam mo, we need as many alternative modes of transportation as we can, lalo na ngayong pandemya. Mobility is very, very important. Because of the limitations of the pandemic, I believe na yung open air ventilation is one of the most important or critical aspects,” Royeca said.
The Senate has already approved its version of the bill.—/mbmf (from the report of UNTV Correspondent Nel Maribojoc)
The post House panel approves Motorcycles-for-Hire Act appeared first on UNTV News.