LTFRB Opens 8,750 Ride-Hailing Slots in Metro Manila, Ilocos, Bicol

THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has opened 8,750 slots for ride-hailing services in Metro Manila, Ilocos, and Bicol. “We in the LTFRB are sensitive to the request and demand from the people and the opening of the slots is also in support of the government’s aggressive economic push across the country,” Acting Chairman Greg G. Pua, Jr. said in a media release on Sunday. Under Memorandum Circular 2026-084 dated Sept. 1, the LTFRB opened 7,500 slots for transport network vehicle services (TNVS) using electric vehicles in Metro Manila. The opening of new slots for TNVS is meant to sustain the availability of public transportation amid the growing demand, LTFRB said. According to the LTFRB, TNVS cap is around 64,000 units in Metro Manila. “Conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) other than PHEVs (Plug-in HEVs), and other vehicle technologies that do not fall within the BEV (Battery EV) or PHEV classifications shall not be eligible for the slots opened herein,” it said. In a separate memorandum circular, the LTFRB opened 650 TNVS slots for the Ilocos Region for electric vehicles; while 600 slots were for Bicol Region. “A separate review and study pointed to increased economic activities as one of the major factors — expanding urban, commercial, government, and tourism centers that generate increasing demand for safe, reliable, accessible, and technology-enabled transport services for residents and visitors,” it said. — Ashley Erika O. Jose