Hits Grab for “toying” with 22.5 percent fare increase cap
(Eagle News) — Senator Imee Marcos is calling for the legalization of motorcycle-for-hire riding services such as Angkas, whose test-run period of six months allowed by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Metro Manila and Cebu is set to lapse this December.
“I think na mas safe ang Angkas kaysa sa unregulated, unregistered, unknown na mga tumatanggap ng pasahero,” she told reporters on Wednesday, Dec. 18, as she called on the LTFRB to “bid out” franchises that are no longer being used within one year to pave the way for these vehicles.
According to Marcos, who has filed Senate Bill 409 that seeks to recognize motorcycle-for-hire services as legitimate means of public transport, the public can be assured Angkas has insurance, makes use of helmets for both the driver and the passenger, and its vehicles are “being tested” and “examined.”
“Mas mahirap ang labo labo na ayan, talagang mga habal habal na nasa kalsada lang, di natin alam ano kondisyon, ano kondisyon ng driver,” she said.
In a separate statement, Marcos hit Grab for “toying” with the fare increase cap of 22.5 percent of its average rates the company itself had promised for this December before it bought out its rival, Uber, in March 2018.
Grab, she said, had promised to extend this commitment for a year.
“How will Grab explain that? Monopolies tend to push limits and cross the line of abuse, so we in the government must remain vigilant of sectors imbued with public interest like water and transport,” Marcos said, as she cited a screenshot of Grab’s quoted fares showing a one-kilometer ride that used to cost less than P100 but can now cost P245 via GrabCar or a fare of P231 that can increase to P346 via GrabTaxi.
She said the country’s “most congested urban areas – Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao – are crying out for the convenience of more ride-hailing services” such as Angkas, whose
She added that of the estimated 15,000 drivers of Angkas, some 4,000 or more than 25 percent of them did not graduate from college or were previously out of a job.
Earlier, the Philippine Competition Commission ordered Grab Philippines to refund P14.15 million to some of its passengers for violating its voluntary commitments.
This was apart from the P2 million the PCC ordered the company to pay the government for its drivers cancellations reaching 7.76 percent, higher than the 5 percent it had committed to.
Prior to this, in November, the PCC already ordered Grab to refund P5.05 million to some of its customers, again due to violations.
The P5.05 million was part of the P23.3 million fine then-imposed on the company.
Grab was fined at least two times, one of those times for submitting incorrect data, even before this.
