City officials recently requested the City Mayor to form an anti-colorum task force to apprehend all colorum vehicles operating in the city.
In a resolution authored by Councilor Benny Bomogao, local legislators stated that there is a need for the local government to act swiftly on the said matter as the issue on the proliferation of colorum vehicles had been existing through the years and the same poses danger to the riding public as the said vehicles are not regulated by the concerned government agencies such as the land Transportation Office (LTO) and Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and do not conform to the minimum standards for public utility vehicles.
Earlier, the council passed the anti-colorum ordinance, particularly Ordinance No. 55, series of 2017, which provided that the local government shall heighten laws against the presence of colorum motor vehicles plying their trade for business within the city and empowers the local police force for its sustained implementation.
Further, it shall uphold the primordial interest of the riding public for a safe and healthy transportation which shall not be compromised by the proliferation of motor vehicles commonly known as colorum.
Colorum is defined a private motor vehicle operating as public utility vehicle but without proper authority from the LTFRB; public utility vehicles with expired certificates of public convenience; public utility vehicles with certificates of public convenience but the approved route does not include Baguio City; motor vehicles posing as public utility but without a duly issued certificate of public convenience by the LTFRB public utility vehicles operating differently from its authorized franchise and other vehicles defined by law or regulations as colorum.
The body recognized that colorum vehicles proliferate in the city where the same include commuter vans operating as UV express but without certificates of public convenience or have tourist certificates some of them blatantly operating along Otek Street, Harrison road, Utility road and Marcoville st., Gov. Pack road, Dangwa terminal, Slaughterhouse terminal among others.
According to the council, there is a new transportation scheme which is commonly called ‘angkas’ which the operators are blatantly promoting through social media but the LTFRB-CAR warned the public against the use of motorcycles operating as public utility vehicles in the city.At present, there is no law allowing motorcycle taxis to play the city’s streets and ferry commuters and that the same have yet to be legalized as a form of public transportation and are currently operating under a pilot study in Manila and Cebu.
To date, there are no authorized operators of motorcycle taxis in the city and that the riding public is urged to refrain from patronizing any individual and company providing motorcycle for hire services.
