“The approval of the application for accreditation of two new ride-hailing companies, Hype and Hirna, is good news, a welcome relief amidst all the complaints from commuters.”
This according to Quezon City Rep. Winnie Castelo, chairman of the House Committee on Metro Manila Development, upon learning about the accreditation of Hype Transport Systems Incorporated and Hirna Mobility Solutions Incorporated.
The administration stalwart previously called on the government to fast track the consideration of applications of transport network companies in order to prevent the existence of a virtual monopoly in the ride-hailing industry.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has finally awarded Hype and Hirna with Accreditation Numbers 2018-TNC-001 and 2018-TNC-002, respectively. Both now are now allowed to operate for two years.
The other companies awaiting approval of their applications for accreditation are Owto, Go Lag, and MiCab.
“That the monopoly of Grab after Uber decided to sell its operations in Southeast Asia is over is good news,” said Castelo.
“Whether or not the new ride-hailing companies will become great news because of much better services or bad news because they cannot compete with Grab remains to be seen,” added Castelo.
“It is our hope and wish that the entry of new companies will provide options for commuters availing of ride-hailing services, for, at the end of the day, the function of government is to provide the best for its people, including choices and alternatives on which service they want to avail of,” concluded Castelo.