SOME groups in social networking sites are operating as illegal transport network companies (TNCs) for underground habal-habal operators, a transport advocacy group said Wednesday.
The new transport agency Transport Watch told a news conference in Makati City more than 200,000 individuals have joined groups in Facebook which allow users to book their own habal-habal.
Under the group, operators post specific time schedules and the routes they travel, and indicate their mobile numbers for them to book.
“The underground transport service operators offer no insurance, no protection, nor proper training and accountability. Because of this, passengers’ lives are placed at risk,” Tony La Viña, former dean of the Ateneo School of Government and co-convenor of Transport Watch, said.
Noemi Dado, the group’s convenor, said Transport Watch gives the people, particularly social media users, a platform to air their messages regarding the country’s transport woes to relevant stakeholders.
“Transport Watch advocates are committed to push for policy and legislation that promotes better transport alternatives, road safety and education, as well as raise awareness of the Philippines’ transport issues to the media and their communities,” said Dado.
“We have to give voice to the commuters,” added Dado.
During the launching in Makati City, the Transport Watch discussed the safety concern of commuters patronizing colorum motorcycles or habal-habal rides in Metro Manila.
Dado said as the Philippine transport sector continued to be besieged with major challenges, including capacity problems and frequent breakdowns of the Metro Railway Transit, underground transport operators, more commonly known as habal-habal, have been growing in number, even swarming to Facebook.
Bookings for the colorum motorcycle ride are booming on Facebook, the group stated.
La Vina said: “Because of this, passengers’ lives are at risk. Yet because public transportation inadequacy and reliability that have long been under question from the general public remain unaddressed, unregulated transport services like habal-habals that can traverse roads not passable by four-wheeled motor vehicles have gained ground.”
La Vina suggested that government should regulate or allowed the motorcycle rides as an alternative mode of transportation.
But Transportation assistant secretary for commuters affairs Elvira Medina are not in favor of regulating motorcycles as public transport.
“Safety and the lives of individuals are most important. We have seen death on the road caused by motorcycles. Are you going to allow this? My neighbour died because of motorcycle road accident,” she said.
