Motorcycle taxi-hailing firm Angkas got a temporary relief against the government-imposed rider cap after a Quezon City judge ordered its suspension for 20 days.
Citing that “irreparable injury” would be suffered by Angkas, Judge Catherine Manodon of Regional Trial Court Branch 223 granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the cap set by the interagency Technical Working Group that limited Angkas, JoyRide, and Move It to 10,000 riders each in Metro Manila and 3,000 riders each in Metro Cebu.
However, the judge denied Angkas’ petition to stop the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) from allowing the inclusion of JoyRide and Move It in the pilot program for motorcycle taxis.
Meanwhile, the TWG called out Angkas for filing the petition on Jan. 6.
“We can clearly see that Angkas is two-faced. The other day, it apologized in front of the media. They promised to comply with the guidelines and work with the government. Now, they went to the government to challenge the government. Included in their petition is to remove in the pilot study JoyRide and Move It,” DOTr Assistant Secretary for communications Goddes Hope Libiran said.
Libiran commented that the petition also showed that Angkas was “telling a lie” and is not ready to release its “monopolistic” hold on the motorcycle ride-hailing service sector.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Angkas chief rider advocate and majority owner George Royeca apologized for the group’s previous actions and assured the DOTr and the LTFRB that it will now be cooperating to assure the success of the pilot program.
Angkas riders earlier filed a class suit against the biker cap, which resulted in the Mandaluyong City RTC issuing a 72-hour TRO on Jan. 6. – Richmond Mercurio, Romina Cabrera