LTO-7 chief: ‘We are not singling out Maxim’

Local

THE Land Transportation Office-Central Visayas (LTO-7) insists it is not singling out Maxim riders, emphasizing that its enforcement operations target all illegal motorcycle taxis operating in the region.

LTO-7 Regional Director Glen G. Galario clarified that only three motorcycle ride-hailing apps, Move It, Angkas, and Joyride, are authorized to operate in Cebu under the government’s Motorcycle Taxi Pilot Study Program.

“We are not singling them out; we are only implementing the law,” Galario said in a statement on Tuesday, September 16.

“These are the only apps authorized to be part of the pilot study for motorcycle taxis being conducted in Metro Cebu,” he added.

Galario explained that Maxim is permitted to operate solely as a delivery service.

When its riders transport passengers, they are considered “colorum,” or illegal, motorcycle taxis under Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 2014-01.

The regulation stipulates that apprehended motorcycles are subject to a P6,000 fine, impoundment for a minimum of three months, and confiscation of the driver’s license.

The LTO’s clarification comes after recent protests by Maxim riders and transport group PISTON Cebu, who accused the agency of unfair and selective enforcement.

On Friday, around 100 Maxim riders, joined by jeepney drivers and other transport workers, staged a caravan from the Maxim office near the North Bus Terminal to the LTO-7 office along N. Bacalso Avenue.

Outside the LTO compound, the riders held a short program, carrying placards and chanting slogans against what they described as abusive apprehensions.

Some representatives entered the LTO office to seek dialogue with officials, while organizers launched a petition requesting the immediate release of impounded motorcycles, return of confiscated driver’s licenses, and suspension of single-motorcycle apprehensions.

The demonstrators questioned why Maxim riders in Cebu face restrictions while their counterparts in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Southern Tagalog are permitted to ferry passengers.

They also pointed out that Maxim’s national headquarters is based in Cebu City, yet the company’s riders in the province remain limited to delivery operations.

Greg Perez, president of PISTON Cebu, voiced support for the riders’ call to stop the apprehensions.

He linked the situation to the wider transport crisis in the country, noting that jeepney drivers have lost franchises due to government pressure and the ongoing jeepney phaseout.

Perez added that fines imposed on riders often end up funding public projects that fail to materialize.

Galario stressed that the agency’s enforcement actions are part of a broader crackdown on illegal transport services across the region.

These operations are conducted under directives from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Department of Transportation Acting Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez, and LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Vigor D. Mendoza II.

He added that the LTO will continue its anti-“colorum” operations to ensure compliance with the pilot program and safeguard passenger safety.

The agency maintains that all apprehensions are carried out in accordance with existing laws and regulations and are not aimed at any particular app-based transport service.(MyTVCebu)