Uber, the popular ride sharing app that helps thousands of people travel across Metro Manila and further afield every day, has just been dealt a painful blow by the LTFRB, as the government agency has decided to suspend the company’s accreditation for one month based on allegations of wrong doing by the American tech giant.
The above image was posted on the official LTFRB Facebook page earlier tonight and hit the internet like a bombshell. Uber’s accreditation, and with it every single one of the thousands of ‘partners’ that drive for the popular service, has just been suspended for one month, effective immediately. The government agency is also saying that enforcement will start tomorrow and any Uber vehicles found to be taking passengers will be apprehended, meaning #Ubergeddon beckons in the morning, when it will likely be a lot harder to get a ride if you rely on this kind of service.
There has been no response from Uber yet on this latest development, but the LTFRB added additional documentation on their page a short while ago, explaining in more detail why the board found it necessary to suspend the service, a step that has caused a considerable amount of anger among commuters in the Metro. The post is embedded below and the agency appears to claim that it has proof that Uber broke the order given to the company earlier, when it was instructed not to accredit any further TNVS accounts after a certain date. The LTFRB’s lenghty explanation, which I strongly recommend you read in its entirety to get a balanced view on things, even lists number plates of cars alleged to have been activated after the agency told Uber not to do so:
No doubt there will be much more discussion and media coverage about this over the coming days, but for now we strongly recommend you check your transport options for the morning if Uber is usually part of your commute. Other ride sharing apps like Grab are unaffected by this development, but will likely be a lot more busy in the coming month!
