Tricycles may now be seen in national roads as the House committee on Metro Manila development, chaired by Representative Winston Castelo, signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that will allow tricycles to drive on the innermost lanes of national roads if there are no other routes available.
The MOA was signed with Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Department of Transportation Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (I-ACT), and Quezon City Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (TODA) and will be endorsed to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to grant the vehicles the use of national roads.
MMDA Traffic Supervising Officer for Operations Edison Nebrija noted that the existing prohibitions promote and ensure the safety of the vehicle load.
New insurance plans are also in set for the tricycles. According to Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Board Member and I-ACT Spokesperson Atty.
Aileen Lizada, Philam Asset Management, Inc. (PAMI) and the SCCI Management and Insurance Agency Corp. can offer the drivers legal assistance, ambulance assistance, and third-party liability (TPL) which is paid by drivers upon registration.
However, Castelo clarified that the jurisdiction over tricycles is delegated to the local government units (LGU) and that the LTFRB is not the authority to regulate tricycle operations.
