Motorized Tricycles Are the Main Means of Transport in Boracay
Motorized tricycles can be found all over the island as well as on the mainland of Panay, and in various parts of the country. The tricycle is the most popular means of transport in small towns and cities, and especially in the rural areas.
When you first arrive in Caticlan, you can find tricycles lined up and all ready to transport you to the Caticlan Jetty Port.
In boracay and in other parts of the Philippines, when you speak of tricycles, you are actually referring to motorized tricycles. These are motorcycles or motorbikes with a sidecar attached for passenger transport.
When a sidecar is attached to a pedal-powered bicycle, we call it a pedicab -- a human-powered tricycle. Both of these vehicles are popular in Boracay because there is a current ban on motor vehicles such as cars and trucks on the island. Government and emergency vehicles, however, are exempt from this restriction.
Tricycles can accommodate between 3 to 4 passengers plus your luggage; while pedicabs carry fewer passengers for obvious reasons. So when first arriving in Boracay, tricycles are preferred over pedicabs because of the luggage that usually accompany travelers.
The main advantage pedicabs have over tricycles is that they are cheaper to hire. They can also take you to shops along the Beach Path, where tricycles are banned operating. However, when you need to go farther or carry several passengers or a heavy load, then you have to catch a tricycle.
There is a plan by the government authorities to phase out tricycles in Boracay because these three-wheeled vehicles are considered unsafe. According to the report by the Land Transportation Franchising and regulatory Board (LTFRB tricycles will be replaced by midget passenger vans popularly known as multicabs.
The LTFBR, however, has not set a date when Boracay tricycles will be formally prohibited from the island. There is still a need to conduct public hearings over the matter, particularly to check on the reaction of tricycle drivers and operators on the proposed phase out. (Reported by Ronilo L. Pamonag in News Today, 28 Dec 2005 ed.)
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