With the recent proliferation of electric tricycles and quadricycles as a favored mode of transportation, their use and sometimes misuse has recently caught the attention of the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

The e-bikes in question are electric tricycles (e-trikes) or quadricycles used by some to go from home to the market or to run nearby errands. Their affordable price, use of electric motors that produce zero emissions, and slow speeds are favorable factors, leading many to purchase them for use on short trips.

Because of their value as practical forms of transport during the pandemic, the LTO has updated its vehicle registration guidelines with the recent LTO Administrative Order 2021-039 to allow these vehicles to operate, however with certain conditions.

Electric tricycles of quadricycles that do not exceed a maximum speed of 25 km/h fall under the LTO’s Category L2a for electric vehicles. In this segment, the vehicles that qualify do not need to be registered, nor require the operator to be licensed. The vehicles however are restricted to private and barangay roads and cannot travel on main roads.

E-trikes that have a maximum speed greater than 25 km/h fall under the L2b category. These vehicles are restricted to the outer edge of local roads and operators must be licensed as well as wear a bicycle helmet.

However, this favorable ruling has led to their proliferation, with many forgetting some restrictions, particularly their restricted use on main roads.

Because of the many complaints and incidents regarding their use on main roads, and sometimes being operated by minors, LTO chief, Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor Mendoza II has said the agency will look into requiring registration and licenses.

“If [the e-trike] can only run up to 25 km/h, it’s not required to be registered with the LTO. Although we’d like to deviate from that thinking and we’re coming up with a proposal, that even if the e-bike cannot reach 25 km/h, if it is being used on national highways like EDSA and the operator [for example] is a minor and is not a valid driver’s license holder, we have a problem,” said Mendoza during a press conference on January 18, 2024.

“We're coming up with a proposal regardless of the speed of the vehicle [e-bike] that once it is used on public roads – and it is supported by law – it must be registered with the LTO,” said Mendoza.

This new requirement is hoped to curb the reckless use of these vehicles beyond their stated limits and hopefully encourage more conscientious operation.