THE issue on having motorcycles as public utility vehicles is no longer one on necessity but on the legal mechanism that will make it happen.
The operation of the Angkas app or the motorcycle-hailing service was stopped because the existing law, particularly Republic Act No. 4136, does not allow motorcycles to be used as public utility vehicles.
The said law specifically provides that like other private vehicles, “private motorcycles shall not be used for hire under any circumstances and shall not be used to solicit, accept, or be used to transport passengers or freight for pay.”
The same law names the kinds of public utility vehicles and motorcycles are not among them.
The temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court on the operation of the Angkas app clearly sends the message that unless R.A. NO. 4136 is amended, motorcycles cannot be legally used as a PUV in our country.
Indeed, it is really time for our legislators to work on the amendments to R.A. 4136, particularly on the matter of including motorcycles in the categories of vehicles that can be used to transport passengers.
R.A. 4136 was signed into law on June 20, 1964. The transport, economic, social and even cultural realities then are no longer necessarily the same as the realities now.
The matter of allow motorcycles to transport passengers now are not as necessary and sensible as it was in the 1960s because traffic conditions then are different from the traffic conditions now.
Given the negative effects of the traffic problem, particularly in major urban centers like Metro Manila, having motorcycle taxis has become a necessity and it is also a sensible action to deal with the problem.
It is good that the Department of Transportation has taken the initiative to have a “test run” of the Angkas app operation. The same can provide our lawmakers with the necessary inputs in crafting a legislation that will not only allow motorcycles to be used as public utility vehicles but also protect and advance the welfare of both passengers and motorcycle operators and drivers.
The current pilot test of the Angkas app shows that indeed, motorcycles can be a safe mode of transport for the public and it has the potential of easing the traffic problem in urban areas.
The proposals for the amendment of R.A. No. 4136 were not passed in the 17th Congress, we hope that similar proposals will result in the enactment of a law on motorcycle taxi services in our country in the 18th Congress. The time for motorcycle taxis in our country has come.
