LTFRB fines Move It P555.7 million over excess riders

In this handout photo, a Move It rider waits at a crossing in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

Move It

MANILA, Philippines — Ride-hailing app Move It PH has been ordered by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to pay a staggering P555.7-million fine for onboarding motorcycle riders beyond the government-authorized cap.?

In a document obtained by The STAR, LTFRB Chairman Greg Pua said Move It PH was found administratively liable for violating the rider allocation established under the Motorcycle Taxi Pilot Program.?

Across areas of operation in Metro Manila, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro, the total Move it PH active riders as of May accounted for 73,321, a breach of the 17,746 authorized allocation by LTFRB.

The LTFRB has imposed a P10,000 administrative fine for each of the 55,575 rider-partner maintained in excess of the authorized allocation.

Failure to pay the fine may lead to a suspension of Move It PH’s authority to participate in the program and revocation of its accreditation.

“The foregoing figures show that respondent exceeded its authorized allocation by 55,575 rider-partners, or more than three times the number it was expressly authorized to maintain under the MC Taxi-TWG’s Order (in 2025),” the decision read.?

The LTFRB also flagged Move It PH for its “disregard of the one-year temporary moratorium” on new riders’ onboarding.?

According to Move It PH, it adopted an internal classification on their rider-partners, including the distinction between full-time and part-time, online and offline riders and riders operating for more than or fewer than eight hours per day.?

However, the LTFRB maintained that its resolution “expressly fixed the number of rider-partners that respondent was authorized to maintain.”?

“To adopt respondent’s interpretation would effectively permit every regulated entity to redefine the scope of its regulatory obligations through unilateral operational policies,” said the LTFRB.

“(The penalty) is proportionate to the gravity and magnitude of the violation and is reasonably calculated to secure compliance with lawful regulatory directives and preserve the integrity of the Motorcycle Taxi Pilot Program,” the LTFRB board said.