Today is another sad day for motorcycle-taxi hailing app Angkas users as The Land Transporation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) won their appeal against the preliminary injunction that allowed Angkas to continue their operations. The Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order that allows the government to shut down Angkas’ operations again.
This was not the first time when the said app was shut down. Back in 2017, LTFRB ordered a suspension of Angkas’ operations as it violated the Land Transportation and Traffic Code or Republic Act No. 4136. But in August 2018, the Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court issued a court decision that allowed Angkas to operate again – but with the case still pending. Unfortunately, that case had to end sadly as LTFRB won their appeal leaving Angkas to halt their operations.
Many commuters are very disappointed with the news as Angkas has provided convenient services that allowed most of us to arrive at our destinations faster. With Metro Manila’s ordeal traffic, this is definitely sad news. Almost every road in the metro is congested with vehicles – especially now, with the upcoming Christmas festivities.
Angkas made it clear back in 2017 that their company simply wanted to offer a “professional and safe way to ride motorcycles as a taxi service”, and we believe Angkas did so. It was not only Angkas that was shut down, car-taxi hailing app Uber also stopped their operations as they merged with its competitor, Grab. In a way the app continued its services under a different company but does that not stop Filipinos from experiencing all sorts of inconvenience. Many Filipinos have complained about the struggle of getting a car because of different factors. While some car-hailing apps have emerged, we can not deny that as of now there is simply no alternative to Grab.
With this news, we simply hope for the best and hope that this would not be the end for Angkas. It may be a hassle for most of us who have been using Angkas as our way of commuting, but I guess as of now we are back to making ourselves fit in crowded trains or wait patiently in line to ride a jeepney.Despite this, we must also look forward and aspire that our commute system would improve making a better and more convenient way for us to go places.
