The inter-agency technical working group (TWG) conducting the pilot program for motorcycle taxis announced Thursday, December 26, that it no longer plans to have an extension for the study.
According to TWG chairman Antonio Gardiola Jr., the inter-agency body believes that the three-month period is already “enough” for them to gather data.
“For us, the three months is enough, because we have our own monitoring already. We will come up with a conclusive study,” he said in Filipino during an interview.
The TWG is made up of Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Land Transportation Office (LTO), and Department of Transportation (DOTr).Â
It decided to extend the pilot run of motorcycle taxis on December 18. Previously set to end on Dec. 26, the program will run now run from Dec. 23, 2019 to March 23, 2020, allowing two newcomers to participate.
The pilot run is aimed to collect data on motorcycle taxis to help Congress evaluate pending bills seeking to legalize the use of motorcycles as public utility vehicles (PUVs). The TWG will submit the data they have collected and their recommendation to Congress after the pilot run ends.
Motorcycle riders will have to cease transporting passengers until a law allowing them as PUVs is passed.
“When the program is terminated on March 23, 2020, there will no longer be a study, meaning no more motorcycle taxi will be authorized on the road,” Gardiola said.
“It’s done already. The TWG will no longer have a role, we will submit our recommendation. So no motorcycle taxi will be allowed to run because there is no law yet that is allowing them,” he added.
