After President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered a temporary suspension of the fines and penalties under the ban on e-bikes, e-trikes, pedicabs, tricycles, and the like on national and major roads, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has outlined its plan of action during this one-month ‘grace period.’
Agency acting chairman Atty. Romando Artes said on April 19 that he and the local government units (LGUs) in the capital region will determine the roads that banned vehicles may use. “We will meet with the LGUs’ traffic officials for the identification of alternate routes in Metro Manila,” shared Artes.
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Currently, MMDA Regulation No. 24-002 prohibits tricycles, pedicabs, kuliglig, pushcarts, e-trikes, and light electric vehicles weighing less than 50kg from using 21 roads in Metro Manila. There are, however, some exceptions: For instance, light EVs may use the established bike lanes on those roads. Here’s a full explainer on the implementing guidelines.
The implementation of the ban began on April 15, although the issuance of tickets, the imposition of fines, and the impounding of vehicles took effect only two days later on April 17. On April 18, the President suspended the implementation of fines and penalties, stating that the guidelines and the registration requirement for light electric vehicles must be properly disseminated to the public before full implementation.
As for the 290 citation tickets issued and the 69 vehicles impounded on April 17, Artes said the MMDA is working to reverse the penalties: “We will find a way to make the directive of the president retroactive.”
He stressed that violators will still be flagged down during the one-month grace period, but they will not be fined or penalized—traffic enforcers will instead inform them of the new regulation. After one month, the MMDA will resume imposing the P2,500 fine for violators, with the official statement saying that the amount will not be lowered “because repetitive violations of the law occur when the penalty is minimal.”
