Motorcycle taxi firm vows cooperation with cops to catch errant riders

MANILA, Philippines – Motorcycle taxi company Move It is committed to use its technology to aid the Philippine National Police (PNP) apprehend riders who violate the law after one of its drivers was found to have allegedly been involved in a robbery in San Juan last week. 

Move It General Manager Wayne Jacinto on Saturday said the two-wheeled ride-hailing company is “aware that there is always a possibility that unscrupulous individuals could join Move It or use our uniforms, with the end in view of concealing their intention to commit crimes.”

“We assure the public that if Move It riders are indeed involved in any wrongdoing, we will be transparent about it, and we will utilize the technology in our app to trace the guilty parties so that they can be held accountable for their crimes,” said Jacinto.

The Move It executive pointed out that in the case of the San Juan robbery, the assistance extended by the motorcycle taxi company to police led to the identification, and eventual capture of the suspects.

“When we received reports that an alleged Move It rider was involved in a crime, we immediately communicated with the PNP and worked to validate if the individual using a Move It uniform was one of our riders,” said Jacinto.

This, he explained, is “part of the protocols we have adopted in order to address incidents of this nature.”

After the suspects were detained by police, it was discovered that the Move-It rider was also working for another ride-hailing application.

Move It has cautioned the public “to guard against this modus operandi, especially given the ubiquity of motorcycle taxis in our roads and in light of the fact that any ride-hailing company can potentially be used by criminals intent on preying on unsuspecting victims.”

The motorcycle taxi company added that it will collaborate with the PNP and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to “determine what additional precautions can be adopted by Move It or other ride-hailing apps to keep commuters and the public safe from thieves utilizing this particular criminal methodology.”

“In addition to this, we will also work to ascertain if Move-It is being maliciously singled out in cases like these, as similar incidents in the past have involved suspects pretending to be Move It riders.”