A member of the House Committee on Transportation on Thursday urged the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to adopt several measures to ensure the availability of transportation network company (TNC) units, like Grab and Uber.
But Assistant Minority Leader Neil Harlin Abayon III of Aangat Tayo Party-list said these agencies should assure that these measures will benefit the riding public.
“The fine imposed is justified and has been accepted. The riding public clearly prefer the private vehicle TNCs over the less-maintained regular taxis because they are cleaner,” he said.
On Tuesday the LTFRB slapped a P5-million each fine against Uber and Grab for violating several terms and conditions of the Certificate of Transportation Network Company.
The agency, however, allowed Uber and Grab to continue their operations while reviewing their accreditations as TNCs.
Abayon said both the LTFRB and LTO should assign document processing lanes, specifically for TNCs and provide barcode to each TNC member filing so it would be easier to track the progress of each set of documents.
“TNC drivers are generally more courteous to their passengers and passengers feel safer while in the TNC units because regular taxis often fall victim to robbers,” Abayon added.
Abayon also urged TNCs to adopt security measures to protect themselves and their passengers from robbers, as well as protocols for medical emergencies involving either the driver or passengers.
“The regular taxis are on the losing end of their competition with the TNCs because the riding public feel the service they provide is poor and unsatisfactory,” he said.
“Commuters want value for their money. Our country has a market demand-driven economy. The regular taxi fleets must shape up or they will become as obsolete as pagers were decades ago when mobile phones entered the consumer market,” he added.
According to Abayon, TNC service has become a source of additional or even major income for many middle-income Filipino families not just in Metro Manila, but in other major urban cities where they have been allowed to operate.
“Harsh treatment of TNCs and their drivers will do more harm than good and will not ease the financial hardships of the families that have now come to depend on TNC income to sustain their everyday lives and gather savings for medical expenses and other major expenses,” he said.