AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE QUEZON CITY TRICYCLE MANAGEMENT CODE OF 2014

Background:
Over the years, the tricycle sector has become a major social policy concern due to the worsening traffic accidents involving tricycles, proliferation of colorum or illegal units and an ever increasing number of families that are dependent on tricycle operations for livelihood. From a management perspective, the operation of the tricycle sector has become a major challenge due to the absence of established planning standards and best practices.

Quezon City with an estimated population of 3,179,536 in 2012 is the most populated city on the Philippines. It has an annual population growth rate of 2.92% which is way above the country’s average of 1.7% in the 2010 census. Consequently, Quezon City faces major transportation challenges. In terms of the local public transport sector, the city currently manages around 150 Tricycle Operators and Drivers Associations (TODA) that involve the operation of more than 24.600 tricycle units within the city’s six Congressional Districts.
The tricycle-for-hire operations in Quezon City involve one hundred fifty (150) Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (TODA) that operate twenty four thousand eight hundred (24, 800) units across all six (6) Congressional Districts. The City Government has yet to mobilize resources for the conduct of a full-scale assessment.

The Office of the Vice Mayor in partnership with the University of the Philippines-National Center for transportation Studies represented by Dr. Noriel Tiglao conducted a policy study that will identify and assess the issues and challenges that confront the tricycle sector in Quezon City. It consists of five (5) distinct tasks namely:

Focused Group Discussions among officers representing each of the Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (TODA) across the six (6) Congressional Districts of Quezon City;
Household Profiling Study which involves surveys and interviews to establish the socio-economic characteristics of families dependent on the tricycle sector;
Tricycle Mapping Survey to establish the operational characteristics and performance indicators of tricycle operation in Quezon City;

Policy review of the existing regulations related to tricycle operations and management;
Drafting of the Tricycle Management Code.

A total of 750 participants from 150 TODA Federations of the six (6) Congressional Districts of Quezon City attended the Focus Group Discussion conducted from September 6-30, 2013. Key areas for policy intervention were established from results of the FGD sessions, household profiling survey and tricycle mapping survey. The Household Profiling Survey activities were conducted from September 4-9, 2013. A total of 13 surveyors organized in 5 teams were deployed during the period while an overall coordinator overseeing the interview activities.

The tricycle mapping survey used an on board data collection device to establish the operational characteristics and performance indicators of tricycle operations in Quezon City. The list of indicators includes speed, travel time, waiting time, loading/unloading points and load profile. This survey covered at least two (2) tricycle units in two (2) TODAs for each district. The TODAs were identified in consultation with DPOS-TRU and the QCTODAFED.
With this, the Office of the Vice Mayor, together with the Department of Public Order and Safety-Tricycle Regulatory Unit (DPOS-TRU), spearheaded the “1st Quezon City TODA Summit” last October 18, 2013 to identify and assess the issues and challenges that confront the tricycle sector in Quezon City. One of the tasks of the summit is to establish key policy directions and interventions towards the crafting of a responsive Tricycle Management Code for Quezon City. In-depth discussions and writeshops with the staff from the Office of the Vice Mayor and the DPOS-TRU were conducted in drafting the proposed Tricycle Management Code.

After months of preparation, Proposed Ordinance No. PO19CC-170 entitled, “AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE QUEZON CITY TRICYCLE MANAGEMENT CODE OF 2014” was presented at the TODA summit.

The Code will comprehensively address aspects of tricycle operations, regulations and social protection for the tricycle sector; Clarify the functions and roles of concerned departments and other stakeholders for the effective management of the tricycle sector; Establish a clear definition of the Route Measured Capacity (RMC); Definition of clear mechanisms for Route Rationalization and Route Integration; Impose stiffer penalties to curb the proliferation of colorum operations; and Mandate the establishment of an information system to support planning and franchising functions of concerned departments.

Legislative Track:

PO19CC- 170 was filed to the Office of the City Secretary on November 27, 2013 and was calendared for First Reading during the 13th City Council Regular Session held on December 2, 2014 and was referred to the Committee on Laws Rules and Internal Government, Committee on Public Order and Security and Illegal Drugs and Committee on Transportation. It was in calendared for Second Reading for deliberation during the 31st City Council Regular Session held on July 14, 2014 and was approved on Third and Final Reading during the 32nd City Council Regular Session held on July 21, 2014.