Council pushes e-trike ordinance

THE Mandaue City Council conducted a public hearing on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, on a proposed ordinance regulating the operation of electric tricycles (e-trikes) as public utility vehicles and providing operators the option to shift from fuel-powered units.The measure, introduced by Councilor Carlo Pontico Fortuna, seeks to regulate the registration, franchising, operation and safety standards of public utility e-tricycles in Mandaue City.Fortuna said the ordinance is intended to prepare the city for tricycle drivers who may voluntarily adopt e-tricycles in the future.“It’s their option to shift to e-trikes. It does not mean that we are requiring everyone to shift to e-trikes,” he said in a mix of Cebuano and English.Under the proposal, e-tricycles will operate under the same routes and transport policies governing conventional tricycles. Operators must comply with Land Transportation Office (LTO) requirements, including vehicle registration, roadworthiness inspections and professional driver’s licenses. The ordinance also sets standards on vehicle safety, passenger capacity, franchising requirements and operating zones.Fortuna said e-tricycles could help reduce operating costs because they do not rely on fuel, potentially benefiting both drivers and commuters.The proposal also includes transitional provisions giving priority to existing franchised tricycle operators who choose to shift to LTO-compliant e-tricycles.While the proposal received generally positive feedback during the hearing, tricycle operators raised concerns about the cost of transitioning to electric vehicles.Marte Basubas, president of the One Mandaue Opao Association for Tricycle Drivers, said the group supports the measure as long as it does not increase the number of tricycle franchises in the city.“It is a good change, as long as the number of franchises is not increased,” Basubas said in Cebuano. Basubas added that many drivers remain hesitant because of the high cost of e-tricycles, although subsidies from the City could encourage them to make the switch.Meanwhile, Krizzy Hyll Retuya, head of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team), expressed support for the proposal, saying the agency is prepared to enforce whatever measure is approved by the City Council.Retuya said Team’s primary concern is ensuring that operators comply with existing transport laws and regulations. He added that the agency will continue its campaign against colorum vehicles and the operation of tricycles on national highways, which remain prohibited under existing rules.He also noted that operators who shift to e-tricycles will need to apply for a new franchise and that both e-trikes and e-bikes will continue to be prohibited from operating on national highways.If approved, the ordinance will establish the City’s legal framework for public utility e-tricycles while promoting cleaner and more sustainable transportation without requiring existing tricycle operators to abandon their fuel-powered units. / ABC & Sheryn Mae Sinoy, UV Intern