Public transport is one of the key things that the Philippines has that are vast. In other countries, public transport consists mainly of buses, trains, cabs, and other ride-hailing programs and applications. However, due to the fact that the Philippines had recent changes and restrictions to some ride-hailing applications and programs, commuters and public transportation-used people had several complaints and reactions to this.
Recently, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) made the announcement that 20,000 Transport Network Vehicle Service operators (TNVS) slots will be opening.
As per the LTFRB, a decreased amount of returns for applicants and hopefuls for the Certificates of Public Convenience or franchises have come. So, they would need more and opening TNVS slots is the key to this.
The board decided to open again the online application for TNVS new CPC starting the 17th of December 2018, with a total of 20,000 slots/units.”
Ride-hailing customers have complaints and violent reactions to prices of services especially during the holiday seasons and rush hours. The reason they resort to these apps is because of the difficulty to catch and be comfortable with public transport.
Some even consider turning to motorcycling-hailing services like Angkas which provides lower prices and a faster way to travel. However, just last week, Angkas’ operations were suspended after the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) after their preliminary injunction last year. They just recently resumed operations in September and just after two (2) months, a new issue has come up.
The LTFRB insists that using motorcycles as a form of public transportation is dangerous and is illegal. However, commuters love it because of the fact that they avoid and escape the infamous traffic our country has to offer.
This is also one reason why habal-habal is an illegal form of transportation but a lot of people bite the offer because of the fast and easier means of getting from one point to another.
Are there negative effects of this additional TNVS units?
One of the few downsides of this is the traffic. Given the current situation our country has now, with this increase of transport vehicles, people can expect heavier and larger traffic especially after business hours when it is the pour of people in the streets and the roads.
As of the moment, Grab Philippines is the largest and the biggest fish in the TNVS industry. They said that their prices are high not because of the holidays, but because they do not have enough drivers or Grab partner-drivers to serve the demand of the public.
Grab Philippines, as a matter of fact, have been pushing the LTFRB to hike the supply base in Metro Manila from 65,000, to 80,500 since August. Now, they’re going to be grant that, it’s just that the TNVS is open to the public.
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In case you’re wondering, Grab is not the sole transport network company (TNC) we have in the country. After the discrepancy the LTFRB had with Uber Philippines, Grab Philippines absorbed its drivers, making it a monopoly and a sole four-wheel ride-hailing app. In order to break the monopoly, the gave a go to six (6) other TNCs in order for people to have options when choosing their ride. This included:
- HirNa
- Hype
- GoLag
- Owto
- GoPickMeUp
- MiCab
You can immediately try any of these in case you want to have an idea on how the prices are different from what you currently do. Grab, which is the number one ride-hailing application currently has over 50,000 drivers servicing the whole nation. Despite their number, they are still not able to successfully answer the demand of the public.
People who have the interest to register as a TNVS can do so by accessing the LTFRB website. This ran from the 17th of December and will end on the 3rd of January.
Last August, they already opened an extra 10,000 slots for the TNVS. Apparently, this was not enough and they needed to add more. The LTFRB has shown that out of the 65,000 cap they’ve made sure of as TNVS units, only 35,000 operators have valid CPCs or the provisional authority to operate from the board themselves.
In order to help fellow commuters, Grab Philippines is offering Grab Christmas Express if currently offering free jeepney and bus rides in locations that are high in those demand. This will run from the 13th of December until the 24th and anyone who has the Grab app can have this.
To claim it, commuters can go to the GrabRewards catalogue on the app. The ticket you can get is equivalent to one (1) seat and can be utilized multiple times in P2P Grab buses that are operating from 5 P.M to 11 P.M. which have the routes of SM Megamall to SM North and McKinley Hill to San Lazaro Place.
Jeepneys, however, covers the route of Ayala to Market Market, EDSA to Pasig, EDSA Crossing to Kalentong, Guadalupe Gate 3-Mantrade-Kamayan C and PRC.
What do you think about the board adding 20,000 TNVS slots? Could this be an answer to the growing overpricing of TNCs?
