After much debate and even more global resistance, Uber is finally legal in the Philippines. Last year, the popular ridesharing app launched its operations in Metro Manila. Users could get luxury vehicles to take them wherever for around the same price range as a taxi. Months ago, the LTFRB and taxi operators challenged Uber’s operations in the country, arguing that they weren’t regulated properly by the bureau.
The Department of Transportation and Communications has recently announced that it is now supporting and regulating Uber and other app-based transport services in response to the much more digital society. Additional regulations will be announced later in the week regarding the usage of Uber. For now, the DOTC says that Uber cars must have GPS systems; must be sedans, AUVs, SUVs, or vans; and, can’t be more than seven years old. Operators and drivers must be screened, accredited, and registered to be allowed operation with Uber.
This piece of news comes as surprising amidst the global resistance Uber is experiencing. In India, an Uber driver raped a passenger. Europe and the US are also resistant to this ridesharing app. For the Philippines, this presents a good opportunity for growth in terms of public transportation and a cleaner Manila given that app-based transport services like Uber and GrabTaxi offer a safer and more efficient ways to take part in public transportation. Of course, Uber is different in the Philippines with the wide variety of public transportation options and the horrendous traffic which makes Uber’s navigation system ineffective at times. After legality, Uber now faces integration problems into the Metro system.
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