Mayor orders colorum motorcycles apprehended

BAGUIO CITY – Police impounded two motorcycles March 1 after Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong ordered intensified crackdown on violators of City Ordinance Number 55 Series of 2017 or the Anti-Colorum Ordinance.
    The two motorcycles were operating as ‘angkas’ or motorcycle-for-hire services without the mandatory certificate of public convenience required by the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) before a private motorcycle/vehicle can operate as a public utility vehicle.
    Last week, the Land Transportation Office – Cordillera Administrative Region (LTO-CAR) impounded two angkas motorcycles in a bid to stop the proliferation of PUVs without appropriate permits and franchises. The LTO-CAR likewise confiscated the driver’s license of the motorcycle riders.
    The mayor repeatedly issued warnings to motorcycle riders offering "angkas" for a fee as well as taxi drivers using the InDrive Application, as he recommended to LTFRB and LTO for the revocation of licenses and franchises of those using these unauthorized schemes.
    The LTFRB-CAR warned the public on the use of motorcycles operating as PUVs in Baguio City.
    “At present, there is no law allowing motorcycle taxis to ply the streets and carry commuters. Motorcycle taxis have yet to be officially legalized as a form of public transportation and are currently operating under a pilot study in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu. To date, there are no authorized motorcycle taxi operators in the city of Baguio,” the LTFRB-CAR advisory stated.
    “The riding public is urged to refrain from patronizing any individual and company providing motorcycle-for-hire services,” the agency stated.
    Republic Act 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code states that registered private motorcycles, scooters, or motor wheel attachments shall not be used for hire under any circumstances and shall not be used to solicit, accept, or be used to transport passengers or freight for pay.
     Private or public utility vehicles offering transport network vehicle service (TNVS) without any accreditation as transport network companies (TNC) is also disallowed under the said law. – JMPS