MANILA – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has opened 8,000 slots of transport network vehicle service (TNVS) to increase the maximum number of vehicles operating for transport network companies (TNCs) such as Grab, JoyRide and ToktokGo across the country.
In a statement on Thursday, Grab said the additional TNVS slots were opened on April 18, with the new TNVS drivers expected to join after completing “LTFRB-mandated onboarding procedures.”
“As soon as the LTFRB TNVS online portal is ready to accept TNVS driver sign-ups, we expect additional TNVS drivers to be on the road in 2-3 months’ time,” Grab said.
The new batch of TNVS slots is necessary as the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting prolonged suspension of ride-hailing and other means of public transport forced some TNVS drivers to give up their cars or look for alternative income opportunities, it added.
“This situation has created a serious imbalance to GrabCar's supply and demand condition, resulting in fewer GrabCar driver-partners on the road having to serve an ever-increasing number of passengers,” Grab said.
As part of its mandate, the LTFRB is the chief regulator of TNVS and other means of public road transport and only allows the operation of licensed public utility vehicles.
Last Feb. 24, the LTFRB gave JoyRide a TNC accreditation, allowing it to provide car transportation service to its customers. ToktokGo also received approval to become one of the country’s newest TNCs.
Grab noted that the newly opened batch is “not enough” to satisfy the public demand for Grab cars and is continuing to seek additional slots from the LTFRB.
“Over the years, we have worked very closely with our government partners and regulators, because safe and reliable transportation is key to bringing our economy back on track. Rest assured that Grab Philippines remains fully committed to providing safe and reliable transport solutions to many Filipinos, and helping bring our economy back on track,” Grab said. (PNA)
