Sen. Bam Aquino weighs in on the Uber issue
Sen. Bam Aquino is wholeheartedly for innovative transport apps like Uber, Tripid, GrabTaxi and EasyTaxi, which provide commuters with a safer and affordable means of getting around Manila. He also said that the government should give these new transport start ups some leeway as the government reviews the laws on franchising.
“The government should encourage innovation, not curtail it. The LTFRB must give these transport start ups some leeway as we review current laws on franchising,” said Senator Bam Aquino, chairman of the Senate committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship.
“The government needs all the help it can get, especially from the private sector, as it continues to find ways to improve the country’s mass transport system and solve the perennial traffic problem,” he added.
He issued his statement after the LTFRB conducted a sting operation last Wednesday against an Uber driver stating it was operating without a franchise, charging it with a “colorum” charge, and levying a stiff Php 200,000 fine. This has forced Uber to withdraw its fleet of vehicles from the metro temporarily.
Read also: From launch to sting – Uber’s controversial history in the PH
The senator told the LTFRB that it needs to give these new apps some leeway, the same way it it provided provisional authority to cargo trucks and new buses to ply their routes.
“The government should not hold back innovations that alleviate the plight of our commuting public,” the senator said.
