Filipino celebrities are pissed over Uber, Grab crackdown

Celebrities have found themselves livid after a government crackdown threatens to make booking an Uber or Grab ride significantly more difficult come next week.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is ordering both companies to deactivate some 50,000 of its drivers, as part of the agency’s crackdown on illegal ride-sharing operations.

Starting July 26, Uber and Grab drivers who are caught operating without a certificate of public convenience or provisional authority will be apprehended.

Reaction to the order on social media has been feisty, with many pointing out that the LTFRB has suspended the issuance of new driver applicants for about a year now. Only 3,000 Uber and Grab drivers are authorized by the LTFRB.

Others criticized the agency for targeting a service, which they have deemed more dependable than other means of public transport such as the jeepney and regular taxis.

Coleen Garcia joined this chorus of boos by sharing on Twitter a story on how she nearly got kidnapped while she was riding a taxi along EDSA.

Enchong Dee, Saab Magalona, actor Benjamin Alves, and famous film critic Philbert Dy all took a swipe at an LTFRB official from an unverified quote, whiere the official supposedly claimed that riding authorized jeepneys, taxis, and buses are “safer.”

Beauty queen Megan Young said she will consider public transportation over Uber and Grab if it was “more efficient.”

A petition on Change.org for the government to lift the accreditation suspension has gained 100,000 signatures as of Tuesday.

Re-published from ABS-CBN News



Reader Interactions

Leave A Reply


BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on