THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has reduced the rider cap of motorcycle taxi company Move It to 6,836 from the current 14,000 within Metro Manila.
In an order signed by LTFRB Chairman Teofilo E. Guadiz III, the LTFRB has also directed Move It to cease operations in Cebu and Cagayan de Oro citing that it has not been allowed by the technical working group (TWG) to operate in these areas.
“Move It shall cease operations in Cebu City and Cagayan de Oro City, as records and evidence submitted clearly indicate that it has not been granted any authorization by the TWG to operate in these areas,” LTFRB said.
In 2019, the Transportation department directed the LTFRB to form a technical working group to oversee the rollout of motorcycle taxi services offered by Angkas, JoyRide, and Move It. The study will generate recommendations on safety, security, franchising, and regulatory procedures.
According to LTFRB, it has issued in 2024 a show cause order against Move It to explain why it should not be suspended or removed from the motorcycle taxi pilot study for allegedly exceeding the allowed rider cap.
The LTFRB said the cap for motorcycle taxis remained at 45,000 allocated among the three participants with Angkas allocated 23,164; Joyride at 15,000 and Move It at 6,836.
“Move It is found to have exceeded its authorized rider cap allocation and failed to comply with the mandatory reporting requirements on rider activation, deactivation, and reactivation, as prescribed under the motorcycle taxi pilot program,” LTFRB said.
In the same order, Move It cited that it has strictly followed the rider cap allocation as the 45,000-rider cap allocation must be equally divided among the three players.
The LTFRB said that while the motorcycle taxi guidelines provided an equal redistribution of allocation, the redistribution which was previously agreed by the participants provided Move It with 6,836 rider cap.
In a media release, Move It said nearly 14,000 motorcycle taxi riders will lose their jobs following the order issued by LTFRB, which also halted their operations in Cebu and Cagayan de Oro.
Move It General Manager Wayne Arnold Jacinto called LTFRB’s move ill-timed given the growing public transportation problems in Metro Manila.
“Move It rider-leaders appealed to the government and the Motorcycle Taxi Technical Working Group to maintain the status quo,” Move It said. — Ashley Erika O. Jose