Both the government and the private sector need to work together to solve traffic problems – Angkas
There were lots of good ideas coming from both the government representatives and the private sector in the press conference of the Roads and Traffic Expo. The main topic of the discussion revolves around the worsening traffic situation. All stakeholders agree that one agency cannot hope to solve it alone.
The solution can only come from the collective effort of several groups—from both the government and the private sector—who work together to come up with a workable, feasible traffic plan.
This is the gist of what inclusive mobility champion and Angkas Chief Transport Advocate George Royeca said in a talk during the recent Roads and Traffic Expo—the first-ever conference that provides a platform for public and private stakeholders.
Angkas, the first app-based motorcycle ride-hailing service in the country, participated in the expo to discuss sustainable solutions that address the malignant traffic congestion problem in the Philippines.
P5.4B loss daily due to traffic
In a study done by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the agency projects that the Philippines will lose P5.4 billion every day by 2035 if the traffic congestion problem is not properly addressed.
The two-day Roads and Traffic Expo saw discussions on holistic solutions from public and private partners that addressed not only traffic management but the entire ecosystem that led to the mismanaged state of the transport sector today.
Royeca joined a discussion panel in the expo with Ariel Lim, Former Presidential Assistant on Public Transport Affairs; Atty. Ariel Inton, Head of Quezon City Task Force for Transport and Traffic Management, Former Director of LTFRB, and moderator Amor Maclang, director of Transport Watch.
During the discussion, Royeca emphasized the importance of collaboration between the public and private sector in providing better transport options. “We at Angkas are dedicated to providing a safe, reliable, and affordable transport option for everyone, and we will do whatever it takes to continue doing so,” Royeca declared.
“Angkas is not the be-all, end-all solution to traffic—no single agency or company can do that. But because of our current partnership with DoTr, we’ve shown that we can at least ease the traffic by providing an inclusive transport option,” he added.
Angkas, which is currently on a government-sanctioned pilot run, has become a case study for the successful partnership between a private enterprise and government agencies. In June 2019, Angkas was granted by the Department of Transportation a six-month trial run that legally allowed the service to operate in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu.
All 27,000 biker-partners were swiftly trained on new safety protocol to comply with the mandated requirements of the DoTr Technical Working Group (TWG). Thus far, Angkas has maintained its 99.997% safety record despite initial speculation from government bodies on its safety.
