Ride-sharing company apologises after ‘sex’ tweet backfires

A popular ride-hailing firm in the Philippines issued a public apology on Thursday after touching off a social media firestorm with a claim its motorcycle-based service was “like sex”.

Angkas deleted the tweet and issued a disclaimer and apology after being called out by the Philippine police and other irate users of the mobile phone-based service.

“Angkas is like sex. It’s scary the first time but fun to do over and over again,” the company had posted in a mixture of English and Filipino on its official Twitter account on Monday.

“Safety has always been our brand’s priority, and we apologise for how our recent tweet has made users feel unsafe and cast doubt on the integrity of our service,” chief executive Angeline Tham said in a statement on Thursday.

“Sex should never be used to create shame, fear or disgust and certainly not used lightly for the sake of some buzz.”

Angkas ingeniously makes use of motorbikes to get its passengers through Manila’s notorious traffic gridlocks, giving it an edge over its car-based ride-sharing app rivals.

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