Motorcycle taxi company Move It urged the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to reconsider an order that would cut the number of its Metro Manila fleet by more than half and suspend its operations in Cebu and Cagayan de Oro.
Move IT, in a motion for reconsideration, called the LTFRB order “unjust and discriminatory,” saying the decision was done without public consultation, carried out based on outdated data and figures and violated due process and equal protection.
“The implementation of the order threatens to displace around 14,000 riders who have relied on Move It for their lawful, decent and respectful livelihood,” the company said.
“To summarily impose such a drastic sanction—without full hearing and consultation, clear regulatory basis, or uniform application—runs counter to the very spirit and policy of the pilot program,” it said.
The LTFRB ordered Move It to stop onboarding riders for a year and cut its fleet down to 6,836, claiming the figure reflected the company’s allocation based on a 2020 press release.
Move It said, however, this number was never intended as a cap and that official guidelines issued later that year allowed each player in the motorcycle taxi pilot program up to 15,000 riders.
“There is no regulation, prior or after the supposed February 2020 press statement, limiting Move It’s allocation to 6,836 riders,” the motion said.
Move It said imposing a penalty based on a press statement, and not a law or regulation, “is clearly ultra vires and beyond the authority of a government agency, instrumentality, or other body.”
Move It said it was the only player penalized despite public reports that other operators have onboarded more riders—Angkas with over 50,000, and Joyride with nearly 20,000.
