By ALEXANDRIA DENNISE SAN JUAN
Commuters will now have more alternative transportation options amid the pandemic as motorcycle taxis have been allowed to resume its pilot run this week, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) said.
In a statement Saturday, LTO said bike-hailing operators Angkas, JoyRide, and MoveIt will be allowed to operate starting Monday, subject to compliance with the pilot study guidelines.
According to the LTO, the technical working group (TWG) for the motorcycle taxi pilot run held a meeting with the three participating firms to inform them of the requirements and regulations needed for the resumption of the study.
The TWG is composed of representatives from the LTO, Department of Transportation (DOTr), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (i-ACT), and the PNP-Highway Patrol Group (HPG).
LTO Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante, who heads the TWG, had earlier said that the sooner that bike-hailing operators can comply with the set requirements, the sooner they can start to operate.
The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and the National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 had earlier issued and approved the guidelines for the continuation of the pilot study which was cut short this year due to the health crisis.
Among the guidelines was the mandatory use of NTF-approved barriers to separate the biker and the passenger to further curb the spread of the virus.
Passengers will also be required to bring their own helmet with a visor which will act as a face shield aside from the minimum health standard of wearing face masks.
The government has also mandated motorcycle taxis to transition to cashless transactions for every ride as part of the government efforts to prevent COVID-19 transmission through limited physical contact.