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Friday, March 29, 2024

Grab urges lawmakers to allow more players
to join ride-hailing service for commuters

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Grab Philippines on Thursday urged lawmakers to open the field to more motorcycle taxi players to address the needs of commuters for affordable, safe, and reliable modes of public transportation.

Grab issued the statement following a public hearing conducted on Wednesday by the House Committee on Metro Manila Development during which regulators, lawmakers, and transport stakeholders tackled proposals surrounding the safety and efficiency of motorcycle taxis.

Motorcycle taxis have yet to be officially legalized as a form of public transportation and are currently operating under a pilot study.

The government has only accredited three firms—Angkas, JoyRide, and Move It—for the pilot run, which would aid in crafting laws allowing motorcycle taxis on the road.

“We appreciate that there are continuing discussions that would help our lawmakers craft the law toward the legalization and regulation of the industry. Putting in place a law is the win-win solution for all stakeholders, particularly our commuters who deserve an efficient and safe form of public transportation,” Grab said.

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“Under a regulated environment, we expect to see more industry players and we welcome this as this will provide more job opportunities to Filipinos and give more choices to our commuters. Competition will make the motorcycle taxi business vibrant and its service better,” the company added.

At the hearing, Move It told lawmakers that its partnership with  Grab  Philippines was above board and compliant with the rules set by a technical working group (TWG) under the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

Atty. Ann Albana, legal counsel for Move It, assured committee members and stakeholders that the motorcycle ride-hailing company “will still be under the supervision of the MC Taxi TWG, and it will continue to abide by MC Taxi Guidelines, especially on the safety and welfare of the consumers.”

“We are happy to disclose that the acquisition complied with the law, and all approvals required for the acquisition have been obtained. It did not violate any requirement of the MC Taxi TWG,” she said, adding that the arguments against the  Grab-Move It deal were misplaced and based purely on speculations and conjectures.

The Philippine Competition Commission told the public hearing that it did not see anything wrong with the acquisition because it did not breach the PHP50-billion threshold required under the law for a review.

Retired Col. Isais Espino of the Inter-Agency Council for Traffic representing the DOTr said the deal between  Grab  and Move It was not within the purview of the TWG.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista has previously said that the department would not review the agreement “because it was a private transaction” and that he would want to see Congress pass the law to allow more participants in the motorcycle taxi service.

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