Ride-sharing services Grab and Uber said Monday they would keep their partner drivers, notwithstanding a P5-million fine from regulators.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) cited the two companies for violations of their license, leading to the penalty.
They had also ordered both Grab and Uber to deactivate the accounts of drivers who did not have proper accreditation from the LTFRB.
Grab drivers launched an online petition asking the LTFRB to allow their continued operations. They also asked the regulator to lift its suspension on the issuance of licenses for new drivers.
“We understand the predicament of drivers, and so at this time we will not deactivate any of our partners,” Grab said in a statement, defying the LTFRB threat to impound vehicles without proper accreditation.
Uber, in a separate statement, said: “We will not deactivate. We continue to support our partner drivers. We are working with government on best way forward to level the playing field up.”
Grab also took a swipe at taxi operators for seeking a ban on ride-sharing services.
“We also agree with taxi operators that the playing field should be leveled. But we must level it up by improving the quality of service of other modes of public transport, and bring them at par with TNVS not by back-pedaling on the standards in place we have today,” Grab said.
The LTFRB is set to convene a technical working group on ride-sharing services this week to find out how many vehicles should be allowed to operate under the scheme.
Republished from ABS-CBN News
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