Angkas eyes provincial expansion
By Denise A. Valdez, Reporter
MOTORCYCLE ride-hailing platform Angkas (DBDOYC, Inc.) said it is looking to take its services to more regions outside Metro Manila once the government passes a law legalizing motorcycle taxis.
George I. Royeca, Angkas head of regulatory and public affairs, told reporters after a briefing in Pasay City Tuesday that the company is aiming to expand its operations nationwide.
“We hope that when we legalize the motorcycle taxi that we can run this nationwide. Traffic is not exclusive to Metro Manila,” he said.
Angkas is currently present in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu for a six-month pilot test of its ride-hailing services. Mr. Royeca said the company is looking at “primary cities” like Davao, Cagayan De Oro and Batangas for expansion.
To recall, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) gave Angkas the green light to do a trial run of two-wheeled vehicles for public transportation in May. This was after a two-year tug of war with the government that resulted to an on-again, off-again operations for Angkas since 2017.
The current Land Transportation and Traffic Code, or Republic Act No. 4136, doesn’t include single motorcycles as among the vehicles allowed to operate for public transport.
There are at least four bills filed in the Senate by Senators Ralph G. Recto, Grace Poe-Llamanzares, Imee R. Marcos and Juan Edgardo M. Angara seeking to regulate the use of motorcycles as public utility vehicles. A similar bill sits in the House of Representatives filed by Cebu City 1st District Rep. Raul V. Del Mar.
“We’re just waiting for the schedule in the Senate so we can present interim results of the TWG (technical working group), and hopefully, we’re able to push this into a law,” Mr. Royeca said.
“But I think everyone’s in agreement na [already] that motorcycle taxis are something that the country needs… Habal habal has been there for a while. It’s high time that we regulate it,” he added.
Angkas currently has 27,000 drivers operating in its fleet, with about 2 million app downloads since it was launched in 2016.
