A fast growing business is going unregulated by the authorities. People are not complaining for it somehow serves their needs. There are risks involved that put to peril both lives and properties. But people care less about the dangers for they are satisfied with the convenience it affords to the public. This is about the proliferation of motorbikes in almost every place everywhere. These vehicles had been flooding the market and the end users are rising every minute. We saw in the recent past motorcycles being used as engine for tricycles, some use the vehicle as a single unit to carry both passengers and cargoes. Such vehicle is ideal in places accessible only by feeder roads that are mostly macadamized or simply graded with aggregates.
Places connected with these types of roads are hardly passable by automobiles, buses and cars because of the rough road conditions. But motorcycles can easily navigate the tough rough road conditions. Some years ago, roads that are not passable by motor vehicles are the domain of bicycle-driven cabs. Many places in the rural areas had resorted to these modern carts that are powered by man. The cab moves faster than the obsolete carts pulled by carabaos. But the shift of power from carabao to man has demeaned the dignity of humans are being dragged to the level of working animals. But there is dignity in the hard labor of pushing cabs by the power of the feet for it earns an honest living for the driver and his family.
However, the slow-paced pedicabs proved a bit inconvenient to the hurrying passengers. It takes too much time reaching their destinations aboard pedicabs. But during floods when motor vehicles could not pass through deeply inundated streets, the pedicad gains recognition as a good transportation alternative. Under normal circumstances however, motorized transport is still better than animal driven ones. Fast movement from place to place is a primary consideration in the choice of transportation. People would always opt for the faster unit in order to arrived at the desired destination with less time consumption.
Because people are getting the convenience of moving through rough roads on motorbikes instead of hiking, they do not mind whether these vehicles are complying with public safety laws and regulations. Surely, these are not public utilities for hire and do not have certificates of public convenience that is required of vehicles for hire. Worse, these single motorcycles are not even registered as for hire in the localities where they operate.
In most cases, these vehicles are driven by unlicensed drivers who can afford to pay the low down payments for these easy installment motorcycles but could not obtain a driver’s license. We do not know how aware are government agencies are about these fast growing business that is being conducted not like a business but in the guise of mere public service. People are exposed to dangers that are not even covered by insurances because the trade of this mode of transportation is being made to appear as personal service of the owner but in fact, such vehicles are unregulated but serves the riding public for hire.
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