RUSSIAN FIRMS BEHIND ILLEGAL RIDE-HAILING APP

THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) warned the public against patronizing two ride-hailing apps that are being used by illegal transport network companies (TNCs).

LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz 3rd said the apps Maxim and InDrive are owned by companies operating in Russia and are purportedly operating in several countries, including the Philippines.

Guadiz said for InDrive, fares are supposedly decided through real-time bidding exchanges between passengers and drivers, while Maxim lists a flag-down rate of P10 and fixed rate per kilometer, but passengers may opt to add "tips" or "gifts" to drivers to lure them to accept their booking.

"Since these apps are not licensed as TNCs, the requirements of financial capacity, terms and conditions of service, customer service, driver accreditation and training, and other crucial requirements are not complied with. Hence, they are not authorized to offer transport services on their app," he pointed out.

Guadiz said they will seek help from the Department of Information and Communications Technology in asking tech companies Apple and Google to ban Maxim and InDrive and deny them access to the public.

2023-01-28T16:05:10Z dg43tfdfdgfd