Today Angkas is back, operating with 30,000 vehicles offering delivery and pabili operations in Manila, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro while looking to further expand nationally. Angkas finally resumed operations in September 2018, only to face several more injunctions, which culminated in an 8,000-strong “Unity Ride” down EDSA in protest of the government’s actions. Tham’s tenacity prompted the government to commence legislative discussions in an effort to provide the proper framework for these types of public transport operations. In early 2018, Angkas had become the poster child for the widely popular disruptive movement of motorcycle ride-sharing services in the Philippines. The company responded by pivoting into a parcel delivery service and taking the matter to court. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) forced Angkas to suspend its operations over business permits and safety concerns. By November of that year, a three-year struggle with governmental regulatory boards began. Since its conception in 2017, Angkas has come up against a number of roadblocks, despite its popularity and rising demand from users. It was in 2017 when the Manila-based, Singaporean entrepreneur came up with the idea after being stuck in a six-hour gridlock. This is the story of motorcycle ride-sharing business, Angkas, and its 38-year-old founder, Angie Tham. Game changers are not always welcome and, in this case, even referred to as “persona non grata”. However, counterintuitively, brilliant ideas and practical solutions are often met with opposition. Urban traffic in the Philippines has become untenable.
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