Habal-habal drivers unfazed over Angkas presence
ARNEL Camillo had been working as a habal-habal (motorcycle-for-hire) driver for more than a year, earning at least P600 daily.
Camillo, a 26-year-old resident of Barangay Lahug, Cebu City, said this is better than the P450 he earns daily as a lead painter two years ago and can provide for his family of three.
He isn’t bothered by habal-habal drivers contracted under Angkas, a motorcycle ride booking service in Cebu.
“We are not afraid. Angkas drivers rely on bookings. We habal-habal drivers can look and ask passengers on street especially tourists,” Camillo said in Cebuano.
Most of the habal-habal drivers service tourists headed to Barangay Sirao, Cebu City, known for its celosia flowers or Temple of Leah in Barangay Busay.
The fare rate depends on the negotiation between the driver and passengers. Just like Camillo, Elvin Colaste, a 20-year-old resident of Barangay Lahug, is also not bothered by Angkas.
“I am not threatened with Angkas, we are just the same, making a living,” said Colaste, who earns P900 a day by mostly fetching tourists going to Sirao farm and Temple of Leah.
He also defends his fellow habal-habal drivers who charge high fare rates to some passengers.
“Not all habal-habal drivers ask for high fare. There are also habal-habal drivers who do their jobs fairly,” Colaste said in Cebuano.
The newly launched Angkas enables the passenger to book a motorcycle trip complete with pick up point and destination.
The fare is based on calculated fare by the application, unlike habal-habal drivers who negotiate with passengers for the fare.
Angkas motorcycle drivers also offer free face mask and helmets to their passengers as part of safety measures.
Commuters like Malaya Macaraeg, a 23-year-old banker of Barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City, find Angkas safe and convenient.
“It’s safer. You get to have the driver’s info. Every time I book, I take a screenshot of their info and send it to my family’s chatroom on messenger. And with the driver knowing you have their info, of course there’s fewer chances that they will exploit you since you can report them,” Macaraeg told Cebu Daily News.