Street smart
The burning topic in Manila now is how Uber is getting grounded this August while our incompetent government officials figure out a way to make commuters more miserable.
Cebuanos know Uber already. It's one of the most convenient ways to get around Manila. As soon as one lands in the capital's airport, there's the ability to summon a comfortable and affordable Uber car and avoid paying extravagant airport car rates or competing with yellow cabs. No need to arrange for private chauffeurs or borrow a Manila friend's car; just activate the app, and the streets of Manila are there for the conquering.
But all that convenience and comfort is now threatened. Contrary to their mandate to ensure that residents and visitors to the capital are quickly conveyed to their destination and hopefully, earn their living, run their businesses, or just simply get home, our beloved transport functionaries, who have no clue as to how to run a modern city, are proving not only their ability to fail, but their lack of political will as well.
So, here come Uber and Grab, two companies that have filled a yawning void. For commuters, there are more transportation options, especially at peak times when cabs are nowhere to be found and when the trains are (as usual) at a standstill. For idle car owners, there's another way to earn spare cash. Everyone's happy.
It's a safer way to commute too, as many have attested. And (true story), more honest too, as I myself have experienced an Uber driver coming back to return my wallet after more than an hour. I was so thrilled to get my identification cards and bank ATM's back that I couldn't care less about the cash inside my wallet anymore.
Private car sharing was, and still is, a great business idea, and because of this ingenuity, our even more ingenious government has thought of somehow getting in the way and making it more difficult.
A couple of months ago, to much fanfare, the LTFRB announced it was implementing a system of legitimizing these private car companies. The public applauded. Everybody was smiling and calling it a victory of the enlightened. And then what happened?
Gradually, we saw various politicians championing taxi companies, threatening punitive action, and in general, making noise about Uber. Obviously, vested interests had approached the politicians and asked them to intervene on behalf of the beleaguered cab owners. Rather than compete head on with Uber, and attempt to modernize, invest, and upgrade, these cab companies chose the other, probably more simple route of oiling up their political machinery.
Then, the implementation of these new liberal policies never got off the ground. Blog reports have it that the lower level officials didn't know how to apply the liberalization policies. Or were these implementing rules blocked by the powers that be?
And now, what do we get? A complete reversal, with apprehensions forthcoming. (Initial news reports had it that the land transportation folks were setting up their own premium taxi service, but CNN Philippines, the newly minted local news source that broke the story, ended up eating its own words when it acknowledged it had made an error in announcing this greedy move. How's that for making a memorable entrance?)
So, good it's not the theft of an idea by the government that seems to be on the verge of happening, but still, this news of a crackdown is alarming.
I looked at my Uber driver today, a woman named Mary Leah, and wondered how she would react if her passenger suddenly turned out to be nasty LTFRB enforcers complete with cops. It was a miracle enough that here was a soft-spoken woman, driving and taking fares from potentially violent Manila streets and macho passengers. Uber alone had enabled this to happen. Would Mary Leah survive a confrontation with government goons?
What gives? Why crack down on a beautiful operating system first and then allow them to register later? Come on, LTFRB. Get your acts together. Realize the value of entrepreneurial ingenuity. Catch up with modern tech developments. Prioritize the constituents you are supposed to serve.
In case you didn't notice, LTFRB, we are already a hundred million people. Think about that, and rise to the challenge. If you can't solve the capital, how can you solve the rest of the nation?
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