The Philippines’ Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has approved 8,750 ride-hailing slots across Metro Manila and two Luzon regions, reserving all 7,500 of the capital’s allocation exclusively for battery and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. A further 650 slots for the Ilocos Region and 600 for Bicol are each divided equally between electric and conventional vehicles.

The Metro Manila allocation is restricted to transport network vehicle service (TNVS) operators running battery electric vehicles (BEVs) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Standard hybrids and internal combustion engine vehicles are explicitly excluded under LTFRB Memorandum Circular 2026-084, with BEV or PHEV status determined by Land Transportation Office registration.

LTFRB monitoring attributed the expansion to growing passenger volumes and the spread of urban, commercial, and tourism activity across all three regions. The EV requirement for Metro Manila is consistent with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s commitment to having half of all vehicles on Philippine roads converted to electric by 2040. Slots open for application once the relevant memorandum circulars are published in a newspaper of general circulation.

In a statement, Acting LTFRB Chairman Greg G. Pua said: “We in the LTFRB are sensitive to the request and demand from the people and the opening of the slots is also in support of the government’s aggressive economic push across the country.”

Source: LTFRB