Angkas cuts staff, turns to AI as rivals close in

Angkas, the largest motorcycle taxi app in the Philippines, underwent a round of layoffs in June, founder and co-CEO Angeline Tham confirmed to Tech in Asia.

In a statement, she said the company made “some difficult but necessary changes to [its] team structure” and that “these adjustments are part of a broader strategy” to support long-term sustainable growth.

Tham did not confirm how many employees were affected by the move. Data from LinkedIn shows the startup currently has over 600 employees.

Angkas drivers in Metro Manila / Photo credit: Angkas

This is the second time that Angkas cut jobs in the past two years, according to a source. However, Tech in Asia was unable to verify this claim with the company.

It’s unknown which departments were affected by the June layoffs. However, Tham noted in her statement that the startup is “accelerating the use of AI” to improve user experience. “These steps allow us to operate with greater agility and discipline, ensuring we stay ahead in a fast evolving landscape,” she added.

As of the end of 2024, Angkas had at least 27,000 riders.

In recent years, competition has been tough for the bike ride-hailing firm as local player Joyride and Grab-backed Move It entered the space. Both have less than 15,000 riders on their platform.

See also: Angkas shifts gears as Grab vies for PH motorcycle taxi crown

Founded by Tham in 2016, Angkas is considered the pioneer in the Philippines’ motorcycle taxi industry. Over the years, its app has been shut down thrice: twice for regulatory reasons and once due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ever since it began operations, Angkas has lobbied for a law that would legalize its operations. Under the country’s Land Transportation and Traffic Code, private motorcycles cannot be hired as a form of public transportation.

The 19th Congress passed a bill that would have legalized this mode of transportation, but it never got prioritized enough to be signed into law.

Still, Angkas lobbied for the passage of a provisional policy that allowed motorcycle taxis to ply the roads of Metro Manila and other major urban areas in the country. This measure is the sole reason why motorcycle taxis remain operational in the Philippines.

Angkas was still operating at a net loss by the end of 2023, even though revenue grew by 30% to 716.3 million pesos (US$12.7 million) from 501.9 million pesos (US$8.9 million) in 2022.