PH transport regulators ‘lost’ accreditation papers of Uber, Grab

Uber and Grab’s battle for firm legal standing in the Philippines has just gotten that much tougher, with the country’s transportation regulator today saying it has simply “lost” their accreditation papers.

The news comes just as the two ride-sharing services are in the middle of seeking a renewal of their permits to operate and battling to keep 50,000 drivers on the street, many of whom have seen their applications for licenses held up for more than a year now.

“When we assumed office, for the record, the accreditation papers of Uber and Grab were already missing,” Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board spokesperson Aileen Lizada told DZMM, an affiliate radio station of ABS-CBN News.

“We want to know where the accreditation papers are, because these will show the firms’ business design, the requirements they submitted, their proposals and how they will go about their business. We cannot find these documents.”

The accreditation papers, Lizada said, were supposed to be in the safekeeping of a former LTFRB executive director but his staff said they were not holding the documents.

Grab’s accreditation expired last July 3. Uber’s will expire in August.

The LTFRB is set to convene a technical working group to discuss the firms’ accreditation renewal and how many of their vehicles should be allowed to operate.

The agency earlier fined Uber and Grab PHP5 million each for allegedly taking in new drivers even after the government suspended applications of new permits last year.

The Philippines was the first country in the world to regulate ride-sharing services. Uber and Grab are especially popular in Metro Manila, where traffic jams, faulty trains and selective or overcharging taxi drivers are a constant source of misery for commuters.

Re-published from ABS-CBN News. *All Filipino quotes translated to English



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