For safety's sake, Cong Duterte seeks regulation of motorcycles-for-hire
Operations of motorcycles-for-hire must be regulated by government in order to ensure the safety of its patrons.

With this in mind, Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo Duterte filed House Bill (HB) No. 4470.
He said that while "habal-habal" or motorcycle ride-sharing is regarded as a popular, fast and cheap mode of transportation, a large number of them are not registered, making their operations basically illegal, as they lack insurance coverage and remain ungoverned by laws on common carriers.
“Thus, a consequential amount of risk has been correlated to such mode of transportation, affecting a significant portion of the country’s public transportation users,” Duterte said.
The Davao City solon said the bill aims to ensure that transportation network companies (TNCs) and online e-commerce platform providers (OEPPs) will always exercise due diligence and reasonable care in accrediting motorcycle-for-hire operators and drivers.
“This bill seeks to regulate the operation of motorcycles-for-hire, including habal-habal, thereby making the said mode of transportation safer, and relatively a sustainable option for the commuting public, the riders and other road users,” read the measure's explanatory note.
Under the measure, motorcycles intended to be used as vehicles for hire must be registered with the Land Transportation Office (LTO), which shall ensure their roadworthiness before registering them or renewing such registration.
Riders are required to secure a professional drivers’ license by passing theoretical and practical examinations administered by the LTO specifically for the operation of motorcycles-for-hire. Riders should also attend at least one safety training seminar every year as stated under the bill.
The measure also sets the speed limit of motorcycles-for-hire at a maximum of 60 kilometers per hour to ensure the safety of riders and passengers.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr), upon the recommendation of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of Philippine Standards (DTI-BPS) and the LTO, is tasked under the bill to prescribe the standards and specifications of motorcycles that may be allowed to operate as for-hire vehicles.
Benguet lone district Rep. Eric Yap and ACT-CIS Reps. Jeffrey Soriano and Edvic Yap served as co-authors of HB No. 4470