THE LAND Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is set to release guidelines on creating a common base supply of ride-sharing vehicles. “We will release the MC [Memorandum Circular] within the month,” Board Member Aileen Lourdes A. Lizada told reporters on the sidelines of an Uber Philippines event. She was referring to the common base supply, or a generic pool of transport network companies (TNCs). The common base supply serves to indicate a specific number of TNC vehicles depending on demand, without separating the vehicles by their TNC (Uber Philippines, Grab Philippines, and U-HOP). “If Uber has let’s say 40k, then Grab has 40k, and Uhop has 20k, and another player comes and it will request another 40k. So try to imagine the number of cars on the road. But if you have common base supply that the franchise is generic, no labels of Uber, Grab, or U-HOP. So they can be accredited by whichever TNC,” Ms. Lizada said. She added that the cap will be higher than the 20,000 registered TNC vehicles under LTFRB. This common base will be reviewed every three months. The LTFRB can then add to the supply by accepting new applications for the certificate of public convenience (CPC) or provisional authority (PA). Also yesterday, Uber Philippines launched its safety feature for Uber drivers — the Ride Identification, which requires cash-paying riders who will register with the app starting today, Jan. 16 to link their Facebook accounts to the app for identity verification. This is to deter crimes that can be committed to drivers, such as holdup and carjacking incidents. Last October, a Grab driver, Gerardo Amolato Maquidato Jr., was shot dead by suspects disguised as passengers. — P.P.C. Marcelo

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