An Angkas passenger gets to wear a helmet, hair cap and a face mask upon pick up.
contributed photo by Sean Yu
GERARD Patrick Apurado needed to be at his workplace by 11 a.m. at Mactan Island, Lapu-Lapu City.
Since he was not able to take the company’s shuttle ride after he woke up at 9 a.m., he opted to take Angkas, the newest motorcycle ride booking service in Cebu.
“Taxi was not in my option because of the heavy traffic in Mandaue City. Then I remember that there’s this application “Angkas” where you get to book a biker and pick a destination,” Apurado told Cebu Daily News.
Apurado, 25, a pastry chef, took a ride from their home in Barangay Capitol Site in Cebu City to Plantation Bay Resort and Spa at Mactan Island, Lapu-Lapu City, which is a distance of 19.1 kilometers.
He arrived in his destination after 45 minutes and paid P238. Had he taken a taxi, he would have been on the road for two hours and have to pay from P350 to P400.
He also finds Angkas motorcycles safer than habal-habal (motorcycle taxi) since the former offers free face mask and a helmet for its passengers.
More importantly, there is also no need to negotiate fare since fare rates are fixed by the Angkas app prior to confirming a ride.
‘It’s safe’
For medical intern John Marlyx Dumas, 26, Angkas is a safer and cheaper option to habal-habal.
Dumas booked an Angkas ride from General Maxilom Avenue to his home in Urgello Street, Barangay Sambag I, Cebu City, which is a distance of 2.2 kilometers. He paid P37 for his fare, or just a little over half of the P60 to P70 he usually paid for a habal-habal ride.
Since Angkas riders are provided with helmets, Dumas said he felt safe. Moreover, details of the driver like name and number would appear in the application.
“Mo-obey sad sila og traffic rules and careful sad sila sa pag-drive. Courteous kaayo sila and mo-text sila and magpaila na sila ang driver and kung hapit na moabot sa ilang pick-up point,” Dumas added.
(They obey traffic rules and they are careful when they drive. They are courteous and they will text and introduce themselves and inform you if they are close to the pickup point.)
‘It’s unsafe’
But for Lawyer Ariel Inton Jr., former Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) board member and founder of Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection (LSCP), Angkas is unsafe for commuters.
Among the reasons cited by Inton is that Angkas is operating without accreditation from LTFRB.
“They are not registered Transport Network Company (TNC). Angkas and Wunder (Carpool) were told by LTFRB to stop their operations, but they did not follow,” Inton added.
Since Angkas is not yet registered, Inton urged the LTFRB to regulate them for safer ride of the commuters.
He pointed out that under the newly signed Department Order number 2017-011 or the Omnibus Guidelines on the Planning and Identification of Public Road Transportation Services and Franchise Issuance, motorcycles are not allowed as public transport conveyance.
“Commuters choose speed over safety. Since mabilis ang motor, they will go for speed and sacrifice safety because of the traffic or other circumstances,” Inton said.
Cebu Daily News called Reynaldo Elnar, the officer in charge for LTFRB-7, but he declined to comment since LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra is expected to hold a press conference in Cebu City this week.