MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr), in coordination with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), is studying a possible amnesty. It would cover Transport Network Vehicle Service (TNVS) drivers currently under “temporary” status. Transport Network Companies (TNCs) onboarded these drivers beyond their prescribed vehicle cap.
The move follows the directive of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. He wants affected drivers to keep earning a living while the transport sector maintains regulatory compliance. Transportation Secretary Vivencio “Vince” Dizon (Banoy Lopez) explained that some TNCs exceeded their approved driver and vehicle caps. As a result, regulatory constraints now stop the onboarded drivers from operating.
“The situation is that if drivers are not allowed to be onboarded, they cannot operate. This is not necessarily due to the absence of a franchise. Rather, the TNCs control the onboarding process,” the Secretary said during a recent news forum. He further emphasized that drivers depend entirely on their platform status to operate. “If you are not onboarded on the platform, you cannot accept trips,” he added.
The DOTr chief also underscored the financial challenges drivers face. Many of them have taken out loans to acquire vehicles for TNVS operations. He warned that abruptly removing them from the system could result in widespread loan defaults and vehicle foreclosures. This could worsen the situation.
“If we cut them off immediately, many of these vehicles could be foreclosed. That would only create a bigger problem, especially given the current global situation,” he explained. He cited external economic pressures. At present, the DOTr and LTFRB are carefully evaluating policy options. They want a balanced solution that safeguards both the welfare of drivers and the integrity of existing transport regulations.
