Angkas Is Gearing Up For Pilot Run With Training And Safety Measures

After so many months of stalling and controversies, Angkas finally got the green light to resume operations but has to go through a government-sanctioned six-month pilot run in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu. The run aims to show the government how Angkas provides and additional transportation options for the very congested metro.

They currently have 27,000 biker-partners that mostly depend on the service to provide for their families. When Angkas was put on hold, they and their families were very affected as income became more scarce. But with the persistence of the Angkas management and government agencies like the DoTr and LTFRB, they agreed on a 6 month pilot run which will be assessed if they will pass safety and efficiency standards that will be the basis of giving it a permanent permit to operate.


In the recent press conference, Angkas Head of Regulatory and Public Affairs George Royeca said that they are retraining their current biker-partners in preparation for the pilot run and in compliance with the directive and recommendations of the Technical Working Group (TWG) created by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to study the feasibility of motorcycle taxis.

“The safety of the riding public has always been Angkas’ advocacy. All our biker-partners go through rigorous riding skills assessments, written tests, and extensive safety training to ensure they meet very high safety standards. We fail over 70% of applicants to make sure that only the most capable bikers ferry passengers for Angkas,” Royeca said.

For his part, Angkas Operations Head David Medrana revealed, “For the pilot run, Angkas is introducing special reflectorized vests with side straps that help bikers become more visible at night and aid passengers in holding on to the biker’s waist. Each vest also has the biker’s unique ID number, ensuring that only officially-registered bikers can take bookings.”

Medrana also said that, as before, all Angkas biker-partners and their passengers are insured for every ride.

“We also have a feedback mechanism in our app to closely monitor the performance of all our biker-partners and address any concerns immediately,” Medrana noted. "Hopefully, after the six-month pilot-run, the law to regulate motorcycle taxis can already be passed," he added. 

Angkas has been an advocate for biker education and training since the service’s inception. Testament to their strict safety guidelines, Angkas officials have trained more than 100,000 motorcycle bikers to date but have accredited only 27,000 biker-partners because of their stringent standards. This has resulted in a current safety record of 99.997%.

In a previous statement, Royeca declared, “I am grateful that the DOTr saw the merits of Angkas’ safety record and we are happy to be working with them to ensure motorcycle taxis are safe.”

Jobert Bolaños of the Motorcycle Rights Organization declared, “The pilot run is the fruit of the long hours spent by the members of the TWG: Angkas, the DOTr, the LTFRB, the Highway Patrol Group, the MMDA, and all the hardworking commuter groups, transport advocates, and members of the academe. We’ve spent a long time working to figure out how to come up with a motorcycle taxi service that's not only fast and accessible, but also satisfies the safety requirements of the regulatory agencies as well.”

To comply with safety standards, Angkas' new measures such as their new vests which includes a reflective design, handles for passengers to hold, and identification like their ID integrated to their apparel. This provides safety and security with every passenger they will transport. They also include a informative card for prohibitions, instructions, and additional information which they said treats every passenger as a first timer riding a motorcycle.  

Riders are also required to attend the safety and pilot run orientation which is one of the steps of making them qualified riders and soon will be given a schedule for their start. It is targeted that operations would resume within June and will run until December which are critical traffic months.