Senator Grace Poe called for revved up action to pass the bill to legalize and regulate motorcycles-for-hire as a safe mode of transportation.
“The motorcycle-for-hire bill has been through the long and winding road to passage. Our tank is full,” Poe said during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Services, which she previously headed.
“It is now time to start our engines and put our years of work into motion.”
“It is now time to start our engines and put our years of work into motion,” said the current chairperson of the Senate Finance Committee.
The veteran legislator said the pilot study conducted by the Department of Transportation on the viability of motorcycle taxis can serve as a strong basis to have a law.
“The pilot study is the strength of this policy. May pagkakataon tayong matugunan ang implementation gaps to improve its regulation once legalized,” the seasoned lawmaker said.
“But I think we can all agree that we have gathered enough data to craft a regulatory framework that is dynamic and responsive to the needs of the commuting public and the industry stakeholders,” the lady senator added.
She said the pilot study that started over five years ago will yield overwhelming data that commuters support the permanent integration of motorcycles into the public transportation landscape.
“The failure of our transportation system to address mobility challenges led to the unprecedented growth of motorcycles-for-hire,” Poe said.
“Traffic, masikip na kalsada, hindi interconnected na transportation systems, mahabang pila at waiting time sa mga terminal, malayong sakayan at kawalan ng pampublikong transportasyon sa ibang lugar at ruta-these situations make riding a motorcycle for transportation a more affordable, faster, convenient and practical option,” she explained.
With a rapidly expanding sector, Poe said, “it is not only a necessity, but an imperative to institutionalize a regulatory framework governing motorcycle-for-hire operations.”
“We need to legalize it to reflect the reality on the ground.”
“We need to legalize to reflect the reality on the ground,” she stressed.
“In doing so, we are also uplifting a segment of our society and transforming them into formalized, professional drivers with income and welfare benefits, whether as permanent or part-time riders,” Poe concluded.
