'Bawal ang pasaway': MMC passes resolution prohibiting e-trikes, e-bikes on national roads

E-bike, e-trike owners and drivers beware! 

The Metro Manila Council (MMC) passed a resolution on Wednesday, Feb. 28, prohibiting e-bikes and e-trikes from plying through major roads in the National Capital Region (NCR) following a series of incidents involving such vehicles.

MMDA Acting Chairman Romando Artes, together with Metro Manila Council President and San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora and Malabon City Mayor Jeannie Sandoval, speaks during a press conference at the MMDA Head Office in Pasig City on February 28, 2024.  (Photo by Mark Balmores)

MMC President and San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora, MMDA Chairman Romando Artes, and several Metro Manila mayors attended the meeting held at the MMDA Head Office in Pasig City.

According to Artes, MMDA Regulation No. 24-022 series of 2024 states that the traversing of e-vehicles, such as e-bikes and e-trikes, as well as tricycles, pedicabs, pushcarts, and kuligligs on national roads, circumferential, and radial roads in Metro Manila will be prohibited.

The violators of the resolution will face a P2,500 fine.

The agency will also require e-trike and e-bike drivers to have driver's licenses. If the user does not have a driver's license, the e-vehicle will immediately be impounded.

“Due to the proliferation of e-vehicles, the MMC deemed it imperative to regulate and penalize those who will traverse the national roads using such means of transportation,” Artes explained as he added that the primary consideration in the passing of the resolution is concern for the safety, not just of e-vehicle users, but of other motorists as well.

“We are not totally banning the use of e-vehicles; we just want to regulate it since it has been a common cause of traffic and road crash incidents,” he emphasized.

The MMDA issued an initial list of major Metro Manila roads where e-bikes and e-trikes will be banned:

-Recto Avenue
-Quirino Avenue
-Araneta Avenue
-Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA)
-Katipunan/CP Garcia
-Southeast Metro Manila Expressway
-Roxas Boulevard
-Taft Avenue
-South Luzon Expressway
-Shaw Boulevard
-Ortigas Avenue
-Magsaysay Boulevard/Aurora Boulevard
-Quezon Avenue/Commonwealth Avenue
-Bonifacio Avenue
-Rizal Avenue
-Delpan/Marcos Highway/McArthur Highway
-Elliptical Road
-Mindanao Avenue
-Marcos Highway

Zamora said the council is waiting for the Land Transportation Office's (LTO's) guidelines and policies regarding the resolution.

"Iniintay pa rin natin 'yung magiging policy ng LTO kasi 'yung mga policies regarding halimbawa 'yung registration ng e-trikes, e-bikes, 'yung requirements ng lisensya ng nagmamaneho nito, gusto natin na 'yung magiging policy ng LTO and policy ng mga LGUs at ng MMDA ay maging aligned. Kasi kung hindi ho aligned 'yan, lalo lang magko-cause ng confusion (We are still waiting for the policy to be issued by the LTO because we want the alignment of policies of the LTO, LGUs, and the MMDA regarding the registration of e-trikes and e-bikes, and the requirements for the licenses of those who will be driving these vehicles. Because if these will not be aligned, then it will cause further confusion)," Zamora explained in an interview with Manila Bulletin.

As per protocol, the implementation of the resolution will be done 15 days after its publication. 

The mayor had earlier called for a unified regulation of e-trikes and e-bikes in Metro Manila following the exponential growth of such vehicles that are being used even on national roads where they are not allowed.

"Nitong mga nakaraang taon ay nakita natin na dumarami ang mga e-vehicles sa kalye, hindi lamang e-trike or e-bikes but even the cars mismo. Nagkakaroon na ng shift to electric cars and 'yung mga current regulations po ng mga lungsod or even the national government may have to adapt to the changing time dahil nga padami na ng padami ang mga gumagamit nito. (In the past few years, we saw an increase in the number of e-vehicles on our roads, not just e-trikes or e-bikes, but e-cars as well. There has been a shift to electric cars and the current regulations of the cities or even the national government may have to adapt to the changing time because more and more people are using these vehicles)," he added.

The mayor explained that it's difficult for electric vehicles, particularly e-bikes and e-trikes, to be monitored because these are not registered. In case a road accident that involves these vehicles occurs, it is very difficult to determine who is at fault.