Motorcycle Taxi Riders Propose Passenger Verification, SOS Button for Enhanced Safety

Motorcycle taxi riders are pushing for enhanced safety measures, including passenger identity verification and an SOS button in their ride-hailing apps, as incidents of violence against their colleagues continue to rise. The need for standardized safety protocols across platforms was highlighted during a meeting with representatives from various motorcycle ride-hailing companies. 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez met with representatives from Angkas, Grab, JoyRide, Move It, and Maxim to discuss potential safety enhancements. This initiative follows recent tragic incidents, such as the fatal shooting of rider Ren Ren De Laviga by his passenger in Cavite and the stabbing death of Fabio Norberte, Jr. in Caloocan City, with the motorcycles stolen in both cases. While ride-hailing apps currently have their own safety protocols, Angkas acknowledged the necessity of standardized procedures across the industry. A key proposal discussed was passenger verification. "Aside from driver verification, we are studying or implementing passenger verification. This way, just as we can trace who the driver is, we can also see who the passengers are who might be subjects of criminal activities or have criminal tendencies," said Carlo Castro, Angkas Head of Public Affairs. Gutierrez emphasized the importance of requiring government-issued IDs during passenger registration. "There are privacy issues to consider, of course, anytime our personal information is processed. But the fact of the matter is, our MC Taxi apps are covered by the Data Privacy Law. They also have data privacy managers as mandated by law. And we think this is a very minimum ask, a very simple requirement to add passenger verification," he added. Another proposed measure is granting riders the right to refuse carriage, addressing the current power imbalance where riders often fear passengers and can be unfairly held liable for complaints. The inclusion of a 24/7 hotline and an in-app SOS button was also discussed, providing riders with an immediate mechanism to report emergencies or criminal acts during their trips. Furthermore, discussions included the sharing of information about errant riders and passengers across different platforms. "We know that MC Taxi apps have a database of erring riders and also erring passengers. So we should include that, not only for the app itself, but the data should be shared with other apps. If we consider the fact that sometimes erring passengers, when blacklisted by one app, will just move to a new app," Gutierrez explained. Gutierrez is scheduled to meet with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) next week to formally recommend these measures. He expressed confidence that these proposed policies can be implemented by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the executive branch.