Tricycles as school shuttles backed
A commuter rights group has expressed its support to Quezon City Vice-Mayor Joy Belmonte’s opposition to the proposed ban on tricycles being used as school shuttles. The Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection (LCSP) pointed out that there is no law prohibiting students from using tricycles as school service.
“Let’s not make a simple issue complicated. Hindi bawal sumakay ng tricycle ang estudyante papunta sa paaralan o pauwi. Walang batas na ganyan,” LCSP founder, lawyer Ariel Inton said. Inton aid authorities should run after overloading, colorum, and out-of-line tricycles and other public utility vehicles (PUV) instead of barring “trikes from being used as school shuttle services’’. Earlier, Belmonte rejected the stand of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to ban the use of the three-wheeled vehicles as school vehicle services. “As long as the for-hire tricycle is not colorum, overloading, or out-of-line,’’ Belmonte said. Belmonte insisted tricycle units should still be allowed to serve as school shuttle service as long as they have legal franchises. (Chito Chavez)