Angkas

Market position

Angkas is described as the Philippines' leading motorcycle taxi platform and pioneer of the two-wheel ride-hailing category, operating the country's largest motorcycle ride-hailing network with over 27,000 active riders, compared with fewer than 15,000 each for JoyRide and Grab-backed Move It. Its 2024 revenue decline of 23% contrasts with 13% year-over-year growth in the broader Southeast Asian ride-hailing industry.

Angkas is described as the country's homegrown category leader in two-wheel ride-hailing, with the largest motorcycle ride-hailing network (over 27,000 active riders versus fewer than 15,000 each at JoyRide and Move It), deep local brand equity and a track record of operating through legal and operational disruptions. It provides free training to applicant riders, and that training has been used as the basis for the government's Basic Motorcycle Program.

Technology

The service runs on a mobile application that handles service selection, pickup and drop-off input, rider matching, booking tracking, fare and rider details, in-app e-receipt requests, stored payment cards and cashless payments. Management stated in 2025 that the company is accelerating the use of AI to improve user experience; technical problems with the app were cited as a difficulty in 2023.

Go-to-market

Angkas acquires riders through open applications and free training, and reaches consumers through its mobile app, website and social media, including in-app and social promo codes. It also markets a business delivery offering to merchants and maintains consumer and driver blogs with commuter and rider content in English and Filipino. Government engagement is a core channel: the company has lobbied for legalization of motorcycle taxis and signed memoranda of understanding with the Social Security System and the Camarines Sur local government.

Urban commuters seeking to avoid traffic congestion in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Cagayan de Oro; consumers sending same-day parcels; merchants and small businesses needing on-demand delivery; and motorcycle riders seeking income as biker-partners.

Geography

Headquartered in Makati, Metro Manila. The company operates in NCR, parts of the Greater Manila Area, Metro Cebu and Cagayan de Oro. Before the government crackdown in late 2018 it also served General Santos; as of October 2019 service was limited to Metro Manila and Metro Cebu, with plans cited for Davao City and Batangas City and a resumption in Cagayan de Oro, which occurred in March 2023. A 2024 memorandum of understanding with Camarines Sur contemplates future expansion in that province.

History

The company was conceptualized in 2015 and founded in 2016, with DBDOYC Inc. set up as its operating entity. Its legality has repeatedly been contested: the LTFRB suspended operations in November 2017 over the lack of a business permit and motorcycle safety concerns, prompting the December 2017 launch of the Angkas Padala parcel delivery service. A Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court decision in August 2018 barred the LTFRB from arresting Angkas drivers and the service resumed the following month, but the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order in December 2018. The DOTr provisionally allowed operations again in May 2019, and a six-month government pilot of motorcycle taxis in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu began in June 2019 with Angkas capped at its then 27,000 riders. The pilot was extended to March 2020 and opened to JoyRide and Move It, with rider caps split among the three operators; Angkas sought and then withdrew a restraining order in January 2020 after the Metro Manila cap was raised to 45,000. George Royeca became CEO in November 2021, succeeding Angeline Tham, who remained involved. Angkas resumed Cagayan de Oro operations in March 2023 and launched AngCars in 2024. Over the years the platform has been shut down multiple times: twice due to regulatory rulings and once during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Risks & controversies

Motorcycle taxis remain technically illegal under Philippine law and Angkas operates under a provisional policy, with a legalization bill passed in the 19th Congress but never prioritized for final approval; the service has been shut down multiple times, twice by regulatory rulings and once during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regulatory history includes the 2017 LTFRB suspension, the 2018 Supreme Court TRO, and rider caps imposed during the 2019-2020 pilot. Financially, FY2024 showed declining revenue, widening losses, negative free cash flow of ₱493 million and a sharply reduced cash balance implying an estimated runway of roughly seven to eight months at then-current burn rates, alongside two rounds of layoffs in two years and competitive pressure from JoyRide and Grab-backed Move It.