Yamsuan urges DOTr to consider commuters’ welfare, riders’ job security in setting rules on allocation for motorcycle taxis

Parañaque 2nd District Representative Brian Yamsuan has called on the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to take into account the welfare of commuters and the job security of transport workers in setting the rules on the allocation of rider-partners for motorcycle taxi platforms.

Yamsuan, a vice chairperson of the House Committee on Transportation, also urged DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon to safeguard the well-being of commuters by implementing measures that would mandate platform providers to conduct rigid background screenings on their rider-partners and incorporate safety features on their apps.

“Ang bottomline natin dito yung ating mga kababayan at paano natin matutulungan yung riders na naghahanapbuhay lang naman. Ang isyu lang naman nila ay paano sila makakapaglagay ng pagkain sa hapag kainan ng mga pamilya nila. And at the same time, yung ating riding public naman, ang gusto lang nila makarating ng safe at sa tamang destinasyon, magbayad ng tamang fare,” Yamsuan said in a radio interview.

(Our bottomline here is our countrymen and how we can help riders who are just doing their jobs. Their only concern is how they can put food on the table for their families. At the same time, as for the riding public, they just want to arrive safe and at the right destination, and pay the correct fare.)

The lawmaker issued the statement following the recent move by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to impose a P555.75 million penalty on motorcycle taxi platform Move It for exceeding its authorized number of rider-partners. The LTFRB found that Move It had 73,321 active rider-partners as of May 2026, despite being authorized to maintain only 17,746 across Metro Manila, Cebu City and Cagayan de Oro. Move It has filed a motion for reconsideration on the ruling.

Yamsuan said that in his recent conversation with Dizon, the latter informed him that the DOTr will hold a dialogue with operators of motorcycle taxi platforms Move-It, Joyride and Angkas to review the policy of setting a cap for their authorized rider allocations and determine consumer demand for these modes of transport.

The House transportation committee chaired by Quezon City Rep. Franz Pumaren, on the other hand, will look into several aspects of the operations of motorcycles-for-hire, including the regulations governing ride-hailing platforms and operators, the welfare of commuters, and the possibility of increasing the authorized rider allocation based on available ridership data, Yamsuan said.

While these actions aim to correct policy gaps, Yamsuan emphasized the urgent need for Congress to pass a law regulating the operations of motorcycles-for-hire to put in place a permanent legal framework that would both protect the welfare of commuters and riders.

“Until a law is enacted regulating the operations of motorcycles-for-hire, we would continue to rely on the guidelines of the LTFRB and a memorandum circular issued by the DOTr allowing the use of motorcycles as an alternative mode of transportation. We still have no clear-cut policies and rules on the use of motorcycles as public utility vehicles (PUVs) despite the fact that these have become the preferred mode of transport for hundreds of thousands of commuters,” Yamsuan said.

Enacting a law allowing and regulating the use of motorcycles as PUVs would also ensure the safety of the riding public, Yamsuan said.

The law should include provisions mandating platform providers to ensure the roadworthiness of motorcycle taxis; the proper training and strict background checks of its rider-partners; and safety features like real-time ride-sharing, Yamsuan said.

A Technical Working Group chaired by 1-Rider Partylist Rep. Rodge Gutierrez is now consolidating and finetuning several versions of the proposed Motorcycles-For-Hire Act filed in the House of Representatives.

A proposed Motorcycles-for-Hire Act was approved on third and final reading by the House in the previous Congress. Yamsuan was among the principal authors of the measure. ####