MMDA: Ban on e-bikes, e-trikes starts April 15

MANILA, Philippines — Electric bicycles and e-tricycles will be banned from traversing major thoroughfares in the National Capital Region beginning April 15, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced yesterday.

The ban also covers traditional tricycles and other small vehicles to be identified in the future, the MMDA said.

The agency said e-bicycles and e-tricycles would be prohibited from traversing national roads such as EDSA, Recto Avenue, Quirino Avenue, Araneta Avenue, Katipunan Avenue, C.P. Garcia Avenue and Southeast Metro Manila Expressway or C-6, based on MMDA Regulation 2024-022.

Electric vehicles will also be banned along radial roads such as Roxas Boulevard, Taft Avenue, Osmeña Highway/South Superhighway, Shaw Boulevard, Ortigas Avenue, Magsaysay Boulevard, Aurora Boulevard Quezon Avenue, Commonwealth Avenue, A. Bonifacio Avenue, Rizal Avenue and Del Pan/Marcos Highway/MacArthur Highway or collectively known as R-10.

Elliptical Road, Mindanao Avenue and Marcos Highway are also covered by the ban.

Violators will face a fine of P2,500 and their vehicles will be impounded.

Stakeholders and groups were asked to submit position papers and suggestions regarding the ban, acting MMDA Chairman Romando Artes said.

The MMDA wants to determine the different e-vehicles so the government can identify other vehicles to be covered by the ban, Artes said.

The agency expects inputs before the target date of implementation on April 15, he noted.

Responding to criticism that the policy is a “knee-jerk reaction,” Artes maintained it has been in place since 2020, followed by reiterations from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos.

Artes said the government wanted to ensure the safety and obedience of users of e-bikes, e-trikes and tricycles, which usually travel at an allowable maximum speed of 25 kilometers per hour.

The speed limit along major thoroughfares in Metro Manila is 50 to 60 kilometers per hour, Artes added.

The MMDA said it is awaiting word from the LTO if users of e-bicycles and e-tricycles would be required to secure registration of their vehicles as well as driver’s licenses, he said.

Meanwhile, the Muntinlupa government said it would issue regulations on the use of e-tricycles on national roads, but will not ban these vehicles.

“On the question of whether e-trikes are banned in Muntinlupa – not at this time,” Mayor Ruffy Biazon said in a Facebook post. — Nillicent Bautista