Amid the recent government freeze on the onboarding of new drivers and riders by Transport Network Companies (TNCs) and Motorcycle Taxi Platform Providers (MTTPs), lawmakers led by Camarines Sur (CamSur) representatives Migz Villafuerte and Luigi Villafuerte are asking Congress to finally legalize the use of motorcycle taxis as a safe, efficient and economical means of public transportation for both people and parcels or other goods.
The Camarines Sur solons said the riders’ cap imposed by the government just recently—largely to ensure the safety of both drivers and their passengers—presents an opportune time for lawmakers to help check over-boarding by writing a new law establishing a comprehensive framework for the operation and regulation of bikes-for-hire as an alternative economical transport mode.
“Motorcycles-for-hire typically booked through digital applications are now integrated into our public transportation landscape, as the more affordable and convenient option to navigate the narrow and crowded streets of Metro Manila and other urban centers,” said the Villafuertes in House Bill (HB) No. 1991.
They authored HB 1991 with fellow CamSur Rep. Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata and Terry Ridon of the Bicol Saro partylist.
To be known as the “Motorcycles-for-Hire Act,” the bill requires motorcycles-for-hire to be duly registered with the LTO, whose task is to ensure the roadworthiness of all two-wheeled vehicles before these are registered or their registration papers renewed.
The Villafuertes said they refiled HB 1991 because a similar bill (HB 10424) legitimizing bikes-for-hire was passed on third and final reading by the House of Representatives in the previous Congress, but it did not become a law in the absence of a counterpart bill passed by the Senate.
Among the authors of the previous HB 10424, which was passed by the bigger chamber in July 2024, were Migz Villafuerte and Horibata plus then-Rep. and now CamSur Gov. LRay Villafuerte.
Its counterpart—Senate Bill (SB) No. 104—was still pending approval by the Senate public services committee when the 19th Congress adjourned sine die in June 2025.
The Villafuertes pressed for the legislative approval of HB 1991 following the recent order of the Department of Transportation (DoTr) for its Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to freeze the onboarding of new drivers and riders by Transport Network Companies (TNCs) and Motorcycle Taxi Platform Providers (MTTPs) for their respective ride-hailing and motorcycle taxi platforms.
Issued by DOTr Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez, LTFRB chairperson Vigor Mendoza II was ordered in the April 30 memorandum to stop signing up new drivers and riders to check “the apparent and unfettered over-boarding of drivers and riders committed by some which resulted in the violation of the common base supply for Transport Network Vehicle Service (TVS) and motorcycle taxi rider cap.”
The only exemptions to the immediate hiring freeze are those with valid franchise or provisional authorities.
In the absence of a law legalizing motorcycle taxi service companies, then-DOTr Secretary Vivencio Dizon authorized motorcycle taxi service companies in 2025 to continue plying Philippine roads as the six-month pilot test approved by the Congress in 2019 for the operation of these PUVs was extended several times pending the congressional approval of a law regulating this new transport subsector.
This crackdown followed the discovery by Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian of thousands of “tempo” drivers during last month’s payout of government fuel subsidies worth P5,000 per beneficiary-driver, who were not able to get their financial aid amid the global oil shock because their names were missing from the official LTFRB list of beneficiaries.
Gatchalian said there were only a maximum of 30,000 beneficiary-riders based on the lists submitted by TNCs for four-wheeled vehicles and MC or bike taxis, but those who actually tried to avail of the fuel subsidies last month reached 185,000 four-wheel drivers and 293,000 bike riders.
TNCs currently cater to an average of 370,000 commuters daily in the country, showing their significant contribution as providers of alternative modes of transportation to the riding public.
Migz Villafuerte, who chairs the House committee on information and communications technology (ICT), recalled that a 2019 pilot study showed that if stringent regulations and comprehensive rider training were implemented, motorcycles-for-hire could be a safe and reliable option for the riding public.
Luigi Villafuerte, a deputy majority leader, said that HB 1991 seeks to:
· Provide a clear definition to motorcycles-for-hire the process of their registration, and the required specifications and standards;
· Identify the process and requirements of acquiring a franchise to operate a motorcycle-for-hire, the qualifications of riders, and its accreditation requirements;
· Lay down policies on fare setting of operators and the motorcycle taxi platform providers (MTPPs) and Online E-commerce Platform Providers (OEPPs), processing of personal data, as well as liabilities in cases of death, injuries, and damage to properties;
· Require MTPPs to establish a quick response team to provide immediate medical care to any person injured who acquired its services through its digital platform; and
· Enjoin the Land Transportation Office (LTO), local government units (LGUs) and other relevant agencies to strictly implement compliance with traffic rules and regulations, particularly on carrying capacity and speed limits.
The MTPP is the provider of pre-arranged transportation services for compensation using a digital platform to connect clients with riders to facilitate a contract of carriage of persons using a motorcycle-for-hire, while the OEPP is the provider of prearranged transportation services for compensation using a digital platform to facilitate the transport of goods.
Given the ever-worsening traffic congestion in Metro Manila and other urban centers, the Villafuertes said that motorcycles have become the preferred mode of public transport for commuters as these bikes are relatively cheaper to hire and at the same time provide them with greater mobility.
Bikes-for-hire are not actually new to the country, they said, as the habal-habal is a commonly known form of transportation, especially in the provinces, where up to 3, sometimes 5, people fit themselves in a motorcycle through a makeshift extension seat.
In the absence of a law legalizing motorcycle taxi service companies, then-DOTr Secretary Vivencio Dizon authorized motorcycle taxi service companies in 2025 to continue plying Philippine roads as the six-month pilot test approved by the Congress in 2019 for the operation of these PUVs was extended several times pending the congressional approval of a law regulating this new transport subsector.
The popular tricycles also use motorcycles to transport people, but these are able to seat passengers through the sidecars attached to their bikes, they said.
To be known as the “Motorcycles-for-Hire Act,” the bill requires motorcycles-for-hire to be duly registered with the LTO, whose task is to ensure the roadworthiness of all two-wheeled vehicles before these are registered or their registration papers renewed.
The LTFRB is tasked by the bill, meanwhile, to regulate the operation of motorcycles-for-hire operating in areas where there are no operating digital platforms.
This bill requires the registration of MTPPS and OEPPs with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
It sets a speed limit of 60 kilometers per hour (kph) for bikes-for-hire.
As a way to ensure the safe and secure operations of motorcycle-for-hire, the LTO is authorized by the bill to deputize local government units (LGUs) and the relevant government agencies to assist in the enforcement of traffic rules and regulations, and to monitor strict compliance with the provisions of this Act, particularly with regard to carrying capacity and speed limits.
Also, the LTO is tasked to establish a centralized database to ensure the accurate recording of violations and road crashes involving motorcycles-for-hire, for the purpose of applying the penalties as well as other sanctions under this Act.
To ensure the safety of passengers, the first order of business for the LTFRB is to require MTPPs to obtain insurance coverage for both their drivers and passengers, as well as insurance to cover third-party liabilities.
MTPPs or OEPPs shall be responsible for the insurance coverage of all their accredited riders, and shall likewise be responsible for the procurement of Personal Passenger Accident Insurance for the protection of the passengers and/or goods, and, Third Party Liability (TPL) insurance to cover for damages caused to any third party in the course of operation of motorcycles-for-hire.
Moreover, the MTPPs and OEPPs are required to establish quick response teams to provide immediate medical care or bring any person or all persons injured by the operation of any booked motorcycle-for-hire to the nearest hospital or medical facility.
