Uber is back.
On August 29, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) lifted the one-month suspension order on the operations of Uber, a transport network company (TNC), after the latter complied with the Php 190 million fine and other remuneration requirements.
LTFRB previously issued a show-cause order to Uber for violating its July 26 halt instruction on accepting new drivers. On August 1, the Board ultimately decided to suspended all operations of the TNC.
When news of the suspension broke, social media grew into a frenzy of agitated and confused Uber patrons. The suggestion of LTFRB officials for commuters to hail taxi cabs as a remedy only added fuel to the fire.
Regular customers of the TNC pointed out that picky drivers and arbitrary rates of taxis are the very reason why they avail of Uber’s services. Soon enough, the debate became a dichotomy between Uber and taxi drivers, as if one side was more deserving to earn than the other.
Pockets of discussions dragged on, but the bigger picture revealed itself in no time. While LTFRB has been riddled with an inept bureaucracy and TNC regulation has the government in talks, the fact remains that the Uber issue is just a minute detail of the public transportation conundrum in the country, particularly in the capital.
Undoubtedly, majority of the populace in Mega Manila cannot afford the services of ride-hailing applications, leaving them with no other option than to rely on mass transit despite issues on inefficiency and safety.
A study reported by Japan International Coordination Agency (JICA) shows that 69% of all the total trips in Metro Manila every day are aboard public transportation. In addition, buses and jeepneys account for 71% of these daily trips. The same JICA report suggests that the solution in easing the transportation dilemma is for railways to take up 41% of the overall transport system.
But with a Metro Rail Transit (MRT) that has proven itself more than capable of having three different trains experience similar glitches in just one day, it is only with hope that projects such as the long-delayed MRT-Light Rail Transit (LRT) Common Station will soon benefit the daily Filipino commuter, not just the pockets of officials.
It is one thing to hear about the dilemmas of riding the MRT, LRT, buses, jeepneys, and other forms of public transportation, it is another to experience them for ourselves. And admittedly, the latter is quite foreign to those who were very vocal on the Uber issue.
While everyone has the right to criticize the actions of the government and demand a better response from them, it may still be appropriate to examine and ask ourselves if we speak out only when we are inconvenienced.
Uber is back. But public transportation woes have never really left us. Why the sudden silence?
