BACOLOD City — The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) has approved on first to final reading an ordinance establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework for the operation of electric bicycles (e-bikes), trisikads, and pedicabs, requiring operators to first secure a barangay franchise before obtaining a city business permit.
Approved during the City Council’s regular session on July 1, the ordinance seeks to standardize the regulation of barangay-based public transport by setting uniform guidelines for the issuance of Barangay Franchises or Certificates to Operate amid the growing use of e-bikes as an alternative mode of transportation.
Under the measure, barangays are authorized to regulate the operation of trisikads, pedicabs, and e-bikes within their respective jurisdictions through local ordinances.
They may determine the number of franchises to be issued, designate routes and terminals, impose reasonable operating conditions, and set franchise fees, fare rates, and passenger limits, provided these conform with existing laws and city ordinances.
Councilor Dindo Ramos, chairperson of the SP Committee on Transportation and Traffic, said the ordinance aims to establish an orderly system for regulating low-speed public transport while strengthening coordination between the city government and barangays.
Ramos said barangays are required to conduct mandatory public hearings before passing ordinances authorizing the issuance of franchises.
“The barangay is strictly mandated to comply with the mandatory requirement of a public hearing to be attended by stakeholders such as commuters, tricycle and PUJ drivers and operators, and purok officials,” he said.
He added that every barangay ordinance granting authority to issue Barangay Franchises or Certificates to Operate must first be approved and ratified by the Sangguniang Panlungsod before any franchise can be issued.
According to Ramos, the City Council will evaluate whether the proposed number of franchises, routes, terminals, and other operating conditions comply with existing laws, public safety standards, traffic management policies, and public convenience.
The ordinance limits the operation of franchised units to the territorial jurisdiction of the issuing barangay. Operations beyond barangay boundaries will only be allowed through a joint resolution among the concerned barangays, subject to SP ratification.
Ramos also emphasized that trisikads and e-bikes covered by the ordinance will not be allowed to ply national highways.
The measure excludes motorized tricycles and electric tricycles (e-trikes), which remain covered by separate city regulations.
Under the ordinance, an e-bike is defined as a low-speed electric-assisted bicycle, trisikad, or three- or four-wheeled micro-mobility unit intended as a modernized version of the traditional trisikad for barangay transport.
To qualify, the unit must not be required to register with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) under existing Department of Transportation or LTO regulations. Electric mobility scooter-type units must have a maximum motor power of 300 watts and a top speed of 12.5 kilometers per hour, while low-speed electric-assisted units must not exceed 25 kilometers per hour.
Barangay Franchises or Certificates to Operate will be valid for three years, subject to renewal or revocation under conditions specified in the ordinance.
The Business Permits and Licensing Office will require operators to present a valid Barangay Franchise or Certificate to Operate before issuing a business permit.
To strengthen enforcement, the Bacolod Traffic and Transport Management Department will issue Public Utility Identification Plates to all duly franchised trisikads and e-bikes. The plates will indicate the issuing barangay, unit number, validity period, and other identifying information and will also be valid for three years.
The ordinance also lists grounds for the suspension or revocation of a franchise, including operating outside authorized routes, unauthorized transfer of a franchise, repeated traffic violations, fraud or misrepresentation, unsafe vehicle conditions, crimes involving passengers, allowing individuals below 16 years old to operate a unit, and violations of the ordinance or barangay regulations.
The measure was passed following the endorsement of Resolution No. 2026-001 by the Liga ng mga Barangay, which urged the Bacolod Traffic and Transport Management Department and other enforcement agencies to temporarily suspend the apprehension of e-bikes while the city finalized its regulatory framework.
City officials said the ordinance is expected to standardize the regulation of e-bikes and other barangay-based public transport services, improve road safety, curb unauthorized operations, and provide clearer rules for operators, commuters, and barangays across Bacolod City./PN
